RWBY AU: M32 - Volume 5
by Rocketiermaster
Summary: WARNING! SPOILERS FOR RWBY VOLUME 5 AHEAD! WATCH THE SHOW FIRST! This is a rewrite of the popular show, RWBY, with my own twists added in. Most of the changes are coming at the end of this volume and on into the next 3 Volumes. Note that I am trying out a new upload strategy, where I upload 2-3 chapters per day. Credit is given in the Author's Note.
1. Author's Note

I wrote Volumes 1-5 before starting to post, so my upload rate is whenever I felt like actually spending the time needed to upload each chapter. All characters except for Rocket were made by RoosterTeeth Animation. This is going to be the last volume that at least kindof follows the original storyline. Volume 6 will be completely original plot-wise.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

POV: Rocket

Qrow: The city of Mistral…

Nora: Finally! Who's idea was it to walk again?

Ren: We have faced many obstacles. Broken airships... destroyed settlements…

Jaune: And, you know, those monsters and people that tried to MURDER us!

Ruby: Pfft, we were fine. Only one of us almost died!

Rocket: So, the first order of business, I'm guessing we're going to go see Professor Lionhardt?

Qrow: Woah there, slow down. I decided I would take you kids on the scenic route. After all, we aren't nearly as pressed for time now that we've made it to the city itself.

Then he pushed open the doors massive doors leading into the main part of the city, the market. Ruby, having more energy than she's had in a while, ran forward and took in the sights of the city from the banister in front of us.

Ruby: Wow… This… is… AWESOME!

I walked up next to her, and also looked out. The view was indeed incredible. We had just walked out of the residential area on one mountain, and the banister faced the other, overlooking the markets. People were everywhere. There was almost a shop on cleared out level ground every 6 feet up the mountain. At the top of the mountain, of course, was Haven. The buildings near the top of the mountain seemed more lavish, cleaner, while the lower building had an accumulation of dust and grime coating the ground. That was where probably the densest amount of weapon-bearing people I've ever seen stood.

Qrow: It certainly is something...

Ruby: Look at all those weapons!

Qrow: Yeah, Mistral is probably the most populous of the four kingdoms. The amount of people here leads to a thriving market economy. People here will sell you just about anything, whether they should or not.

Rocket: A black market?

Qrow: Almost. It brings in so much profit that the counsel turns a blind eye to it, occasionally nipping at it to show that it is still illegal.

Jaune: They sure made the most out of these mountains…

Qrow: Every inch. The shops on the ground floor are where you can most likely find illegal substances. As you get higher up, though, things get more expensive and higher quality.

Nora: And we're going all the way up!

Rocket: I wonder if they have steelwood here...

Qrow: Hm?

Rocket: Nothing.

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We walked into Haven Academy. The halls were empty, but I didn't really expect any students. After all, we were still in the wake of Beacon's fall. The school would take a couple more weeks still to open back up.

Ruby: Ah… We finally made it.

Jaune: Yep.

Rocket: We should probably catch up.

While they had been talking, the rest of the group had gotten quite a big lead over us. We quickly caught up, as they entered the main building. The way Haven was laid out, the dorms were right next to the headmaster's office. As we walked down the hallway, Qrow seemed worried. He had that look from the second we walked in.

Ruby: Is something wrong?

Qrow: It's just… I thought there would be something... anything here.

Rocket: Something does seem kind of off…

Ruby: Hello! Hello!

Nora: Maybe try… louder?

Qrow: Come on. This is his office. Be ready for anything.

As we all drew out weapons, Qrow raised his foot. The doors were thick mahogany, but Qrow seemed determined to kick them down.

Rocket: I'm pretty sure the handles still wo-

Before I could even finish that sentence, the door creaked open, and an older man stood in the doorway. He took a look a Qrow, with his foot up, ready to kick open the door, and…

?: WAAAGH!

Almost had a heart attack. Then, almost at the same time-

Qrow: WOOAH!

Qrow lost his balance. They both seemed fine, though and got up at around the same time.

Rocket: Um… Professor Lionhardt, I assume?

Lionhardt: My GOODNESS, Qrow! You almost gave me a heart attack!

Qrow: We didn't know what was going on. Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance? When we got in, it was silent as a ghost town!

Lionhardt: Is it that time already? Oh, I'm sorry.

Ren: So… where is everyone?

Lionhardt: I'm guessing you're the students Qrow mentioned?

Ruby: Ruby Rose! At your service.

Jaune: I'm Jaune Arc.

Nora: Nora Valkyrie!

Ren: My name is Lie Ren.

Rocket: And I'm Rocket.

Lionhardt: Please, do come in.

Qrow: Thank you, finally!

We all filed in, now with our weapons away.

Lionhardt: So, to answer your question...

He was now seated in a giant chair behind a giant desk.

Lionhardt: I sent the students and staff away. School's out while everyone calms down from the fall of Beacon-

Qrow: But what about the Relic?

Lionhardt: Qrow! The kids!

Qrow: I've already filled them in. So? What about the relic?

Lionhardt: You… filled them in?

There was a moment of silence.

Nora: So, is this not going at all how anyone thought?

It was as if Leo was just buying time, before responding.

Lionhardt: I couldn't get any adults to guard the relic. They were all needed elsewhere.

Qrow: But-

Lionhardt: But nothing! I have no control over the counsel! They asked for the huntsmen, I let them take the huntsmen. And the thing is, I understand why they need them more than the relic! Mistral is the largest land kingdom in Remnant. That makes it infinitely more difficult to control. Ozpin's big deal was about not spreading panic, correct? Well, if we kept all the huntsmen here, instead of taking care of problems elsewhere, the people would become panicked.

A moment of silence stretched out, as we absorbed what he was saying.

Qrow: Anyways, the main thing that I wanted to come talk to you about, is that I have good and bad news. I found Spring.

Lionhardt: That… That's amazing! Where? Where is she?

Qrow: Well, the bad news is that my sister has her, in a camp outside of town. It basically the entire tribe grouped here.

Lionhardt: Still, that is good news. I can round up a force, and we can leave within a couple of weeks!

Qrow: A couple of weeks?! We need to leave in a couple of days. I'm saying I know where spring is. If we wait a couple of weeks, she'll slip away again and we'll lose our chance.

Lionhardt: You know that's basically impossible, right? First, I have to file a request for huntsmen for the counsel. Then, I have to argue why I need them more than they do, without giving away too much about the relics and maidens.

Qrow: Then screw the counsel, we can do this alone. You and I are trained huntsmen, and these kids aren't exactly pushovers. They might be better than some of the huntsmen the counsel would give you.

Lionhardt: Qrow… I'm getting older. I can't fight like I used to. I know that you and your sister are an even match, but I doubt that 5 kids and I can take out an entire camp plus a maiden by ourselves!

Rocket: Actually, I have a question. Why is Spring so important?

Lionhardt: I thought you filled them in?

Qrow: I had to skip some facts. Ok, look. You know how the relics are stored at the schools, but what you probably don't know, is that they are in vaults. These vaults, can only be opened by certain maidens. Summer can open the vault of destruction. Fall can open the vault of Choice at Beacon. Winter, creation. And the one we're concerned with is Spring, which can open the vault of knowledge here at Haven. We want the relic of knowledge, because then we might be able to know what Salem will do next.

Lionhardt: Exactly. And without the counsel… We won't get it.

Qrow: We still have to get there before Salem's forces do.

Lionhardt: And we will. But we only get one shot at this, and I'm going to make sure it counts. Now, if you have nothing further to discuss…

Qrow: We'll be on our way. Come on, gang.

We followed Qrow out the still-open doors. Ruby and I were the only ones to turn back.

Ruby: It was nice to meet you, Professor.

Rocket: We're sorry it had to be under these… volatile terms.

Lionhardt: Yes, I'm sorry for exploding like that. I would suggest catching up with your group now.

And with that, we turned back, leaving Leo to his own devices.

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POV: Omniscient

Only seconds after the group of students following Qrow had left, the doors shutting behind them, a hologram appeared on his desk. It was in the shape of a "W".

Watts: My, my, professor. We have GOT to work on your improvisation skills.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

POV: Rocket

An older child, probably around 17 in a white shirt and khaki pants walked into a bar. Looking around, he seemed to be pointed on his way by an invisible hand, and he began walking towards a man sitting at the bar alone. This man had dusty gray hair and a tattered red cape. He had been drinking. A lot. The boy walked behind the man, who knew he was there without even looking.

Qrow: You're a bit too young to be drinking, aren't you?

The boy seemed suddenly distracted. He started muttering as if having a conversation with some else, who wasn't there.

Oscar: Yeah yeah, I'm getting there…

He refocused on Qrow.

Oscar: I was supposed to ask-

He just then noticed the giant sword, strapped to Qrow's back.

Oscar: I was supposed to ask… Can I have my cane back?

Qrow turned around and stood up. Oscar, who didn't know what to expect, took a cautionary step back. Qrow reached behind him and seemed to rummage around for something under his cape. Finally, he pulled out a small cylindrical object, with a knob on the end. He tossed it to Oscar, who, upon closer inspection, found that it also had a lever that ran parallel to the handle. He grabbed the handle, with his hand under the lever. With Ozpin's instruction, he pushed the lever from beneath and heard a clicking sound. Suddenly, out of the handle, pushed a massive black rod. The rod wasn't round like you might expect, but instead, it was square. He looked back up at Qrow.

Qrow: It's nice to have you back, Oz.

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POV: Omniscient

All Yang had heard for the last few days had been the roar of a motorcycle. Figuring it was almost time to take another break, she reached an intersection. She decided she would stop for a few minutes, then decide which way to continue. One way, the sign said Mistral. On the other side, it said Kuroyuri, but it was written over in red paint. All it said was "Bandits". After a few minutes, she kept driving.

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Weiss woke with a start. She was a little confused until she got her bearings back. She had gotten on this cargo ship to hopefully meet Winter at Mistral. It had almost been a week since they had left, and she had been told they would arrive today. She walked out of the cargo bay, and into the bridge. It was a wider room than the cargo bay, which had been a small room filled with boxes, and most of the space had been taken up by the slanted door. The bridge was mostly empty, except for the pilot's chair and a control board.

Pilot: Mornin', kid.

Weiss: Good morning. How much further do you think?

Pilot: Oh, probably only a little bit more. Sorry it's taken so long, keeping us off the radar has been harder than I thought.

Weiss: It's fine. I just hope I haven't been a burden.

Pilot: Don't worry about that. You and your money are always welcome here, kid.

Weiss looked out the front window, which took up most of the front wall. The area outside wasn't purely clouds like it had been the previous few days. Instead, there were floating chunks of rock and crystal, making little floating islands. Of course, they weren't all little. Some of them were even big enough to have life.

Weiss: Where are we?

Pilot: Nowhere good. If bandits were to jump us, it's be-

Suddenly, the radio flared to life. The static interrupted some of the message, but the meaning was clear.

?: Ma ay! M y ay! We ne d help! Is t re anyo e out th re? We ha e lancers a ter us! They've latc ed! Th y've-

The pilot turned off the radio and changed the ship's course. Weiss noticed it wasn't in the direction of the distress signal.

Weiss: Are we going to help them?

Pilot: What? No!

Weiss: But, they could be hurt…

Pilot: Actually, They give us an opportunity. As long as they keep fighting, the lancers will chase them, meaning they won't be after us.

Weiss then realized that they were currently illegal smugglers. Any human contact could spell the end.

Pilot: Sorry, kid. My ship, my rules. I'm not putting my neck out for someone who isn't paying.

And with that, the monotony of the long flight returned. She walked back to the cargo bay and sat down on a couple of crates that were stacked low enough to sit on. She noticed for the first time that they were all Schnee Dust Company owned crates. She thought about what to do. She had already tried to practice her summons, but any sort of unexpected movement from the ship seemed to mess up her concentration, and she was just as likely to launch herself out a window as she was to actually summon something. Soon enough, she got sick of the boredom. She stood up and walked around, and eventually gave in to practice. She unpacked her sword and began practicing with her glyphs. She started small, keeping one or two push glyphs active at once as a warm-up. Then, she slowly increased the amount and moved them around the small space she had to increase complexity. Next, she reached her record and pushed herself a little bit further. Then, her worst fears came true. Turbulence. The pilot heard a couple muffled thuds coming from the back, but ignored them. Back in the cargo bay, Weiss stood up, holding her head. She could almost hear fate laughing at her. She had hit the wall directly under the window, leaving a small dent in the aluminum.

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POV: Rocket

We were relaxing in the living room of the house, a room too heavily decorated for my tastes, when we heard a knock on the door. No one had visited since we had been there, and we weren't expecting anyone, except maybe Qrow. But Qrow wouldn't knock...

 _KNOCK KNOCK_

The knocking resumed, interrupting my thoughts. I quickly resheath my sword, which I had been sharpening. Then, I got up and opened the door. Standing in the doorway was a boy around my age, with brown hair and khaki overalls.

?: Is there a... Ruby Rose, here?

That got everyone's attention. The reaction was a bit hostile from… well, everyone.

Nora: Why?

?: I-

?: ...iiiiIIII **III** found him!

Qrow drunkenly stumbled in, almost knocking the poor boy over.

?: I think her uncle might need a bit of help…

Qrow: After all this time, I finally found him!

He jumped onto the couch, almost breaking it. That was exactly when Ruby walked back in, from her bedroom.

Ruby: Can't a girl just read her comic books in peac- *Sigh* Qrow, did you get drunk again?

Qrow: Maybe…

Oscar seemed to look intently at Ruby for a second.

Oscar: You… you have silver eyes…

Ruby seemed confused. She remembered the phrase, but it seemed like she could remember who said it. I did. It was-

Ruby: Who… Who are you?

Qrow: Tell 'em- *burp* Tell 'em!

We all turned to the boy, who we could all tell seemed nervous.

Oscar: I think I know what he's talking about… You see, my name is Oscar Pines. But, you might all know me as Professor Ozpin.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

POV: Omniscient

The Belladonna Manor was peaceful… But then again, Sun exists. At least this time, he wasn't alone-

 _Slam_

Ghira: Unbelievable!

Sun: Complete garbage!

Kali just walked in silently. A nice change after the doors slammed op-

Ghira: We can't let them get away with this!

Sun: We can't let them get away this this!

Ehem. Kali stood there silently, probably almost not even noticed amongst their rage.

Kali: Well, at least you two finally agree on something.

They realized how ridiculous they seemed, getting upset over nothing. After all they weren't exactly arguing with anyone. They didn't even notice Blake walk back in.

Blake: Guys. Everything's going to be okay. We just can't give up.

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Lionhardt nervously walked into a circular room, adjacent to his office, with Watts right behind him. He hesitated, as he saw a grimm. It had a sphere as a head, with some sort of otherworldly glow emanating from inside. The rest of its body had a similar appearance to a jellyfish. The only difference, is that the end of its "tentacles" for a lack of a better word, had metallic spikes.

Watts: You first.

Leo felt a rough shove to his back, as he was pushed closer.

Lionhardt: Your grace, are you there?

Inside the grimm, an image of Salem appeared.

Salem: Hello, Leonardo. Do you have something to report?

Lionhardt: Of course ma'am. I would not waste your time, if not-

Watts: I'm still fascinated with this creature. Cinder dear, are we coming through? Can you see us clearly? Well, as clearly as you can...

He tapped the side, as if tapping a fishbowl. Then, Cinder's face appeared next to Salem's.

Cinder: Shut up.

Watts: Oh. You've gotten your voice back. Joy.

Salem: Report. Now.

Lionhardt: You see, we now know the location of Spring.

Salem: Is that so? Well done. Dr. Watts, if I had known your ability to expedite the process, I would have sent you long ago.

Watts: As much as I would like to take the credit for this recent advance, I have to say that it was not in fact me. I guess you could say… A little birdie told me.

Salem: Explain.

Lionhardt: You see… Qrow survived Tyrion's poison. He got here just in time, and he even brought those children with him. He believes Spring has taken residence in his sister's tribe.

Salem: And do you know of the tribe's location?

Lionhardt: Yes ma'am. But you have to hurry! I have no doubt that he will- Ack!

Suddenly, one of the tentacles wrapped around his neck. Eventually, the force managed to drag him to his knees.

Salem: Leonardo, do you remember the time we first met? How cowardly you were… I remember your fear. Since that day, you've been extraordinarily brave. I'll remember everything you do, so you should remember what I can do.

Then, he was released. Immediately, he dropped onto his hands and knees, gasping for air.

Salem: Cinder, you and your team will meet with Dr. Watts and together confront Raven. If she is not willing to work with us… Kill her. Once you have secured spring, escort her to the relic and contact Hazel. The white fang was promised the destruction of Haven… and I don't go back on promises.

Watts: Understood.

Salem: One more thing, Arthur. You will, of course, meet up with Cinder. But before then… Tyrion is in need of a new tail.

Watts: What happened to the old one?

There was a bit of silence. He could make a guess.

Watts: Don't tell me. The girl?

He just received a nod of confirmation from Cinder.

Watts: Looks like Qrow was right. Those kids aren't exactly pushovers... Anyways, it will be done.

Salem: Good.

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Yang arrived at a gas station. She needed to refuel her motorcycle, yes, but she also had barely had any water all day. After parking her motorcycle, she walked in. The building had the feel of a bar, rather than a place to just grab a few refreshments. She sat down the middle of the bar, and waited for the bartender. She didn't have to wait for long. After a few seconds, he walked over to her.

Bartender: Aren't you a little young to be drinking?

Yang: I'll just take water. Thanks.

The bartender moved off to get the water, and Yang was once more left to her lonesome. Well, there was one other person. It was a young man three seats away, who seemed to have taken an interest in Yang.

?: Are you telling me YOU're too young to drink?!

He also seemed to be a bit drunk.

?: You look like a regular huntress!

He moved closer. He was now only two seats over.

?: And a beauty at that!

He moved closer again. Now, there was only one seat in between them.

Yang: I'm good, thanks.

?: I'm serious. Not to bulky, not too lean, but…

Yang: Just right? Like I said, I'm good.

A hint of anger moved into her voice, but the man didn't notice it. He moved closer one last time. Finally he was sitting right next to Yang. That was the first mistake.

?: And your hair…

That was the last straw. He saw her eyes go red only for second, because the next, he was flying out the door. Yang saw one of his teeth hit the wall. That was exactly when the bartender got back. He set a bottle of water on the bar in front of Yang.

Bartender: This one's on the house. He's been driving me crazy…

As Yang reached for the bottle, left handed, her hand began to shake. She reached over with her other hand and grabbed herself by the wrist to calm it down. She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She picked up the bottle, and used her mechanical arm to flick off the top. As soon as she started drinking, the bartender started talking. She silenced him with a finger. She finished the bottle, not even taking a breath in the middle.

Yang: Thanks.

Bartender: So, what brings around these parts.

Yang: I'm… uh, looking for someone.

Bartender: Well, the only noteworthy person around here is… Ra-

Yang: Raven Branwen. Thanks again.

She got up to leave, when the bartender stopped her.

Bartender: Now Missey, you don't want to get wrapped up with bandits! They're a world of trouble!

Yang: So I hear.

She walked outside, and put on her sunglasses. Before she turned on her motorcycle, she heard a groan from the man she had punched out the door.

?: Hey, Girlie!

Yang: *Sigh* This isn't over? Seriously?!

?: I heard you were looking for someone.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

POV: Rocket

Nora: Did he age backwards?

Jaune: I think he's possessed!

Ren: Or reincarnated…

Ruby: Isn't it weird?

We were all standing around Oscar, who was sitting in one of the two non-wooden chairs in the house. He seemed like he didn't know who to answer first.

Oscar: It- It is very… uh… weird-

Qrow: Okay, I would suggest backing off him, and remembering that this is a bit overwhelming for everyone.

Oscar just glance up at Qrow. He was sitting in a chair, with Ruby and Nora crowding. They were energetic and curious. He seemed to be a bit overwhelmed.

Qrow: Ok, ok. One question at a time.

Ruby and Nora quickly took a few steps back, and gave a couple nervous chuckles. Oscar looked up at Qrow.

Oscar: Thanks…

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Oscar looked around the room. We were all sitting on either one of the to couches we had, with Oscar in between the two, in the comfy chair. His gaze lingered on Ruby, who gave him slight smile. He seemed to realized that she noticed him.

Oscar: Sorry! It's just that… well, I've never really seen professional huntsmen before.

Rocket: And… I guess we just haven't seen someone with extreme Split Personality Disorder before.

Nora: First times all around!

Qrow cleared his throat.

Qrow: Sorry to interupt your little chat, but we all need to talk. You mind showing us your little parlor trick, kid?

Oscar: Oh, right.

He sighed, and turned back towards us..

Oscar: Just so you know, I'll still be here.

Ruby: Wha-

He closed his eyes, and a bright green glow emanated throughout his body. When he reopened his eyes, they had gone from a dark brown, to almost yellow, or at least a very bright green.

Ozcar: It is so very good to see you again, students.

Jaune: What just happened?

Rocket: Professor Ozpin?

Ozcar: Correct. Though I may be the one currently speaking, Oscar is still in the room mentally. He's merely… handed over the controls, so to speak.

Oscar: _Just don't make us do anything embarrassing…_

Ozpin: _No promises._

Ozcar: I understand this must all be very perplexing, to say the least.

Nora: And alarming… And bizzare… and just really hard to believe, overall.

Ozpin chuckled. It was different... Rather than Oscar's higher, unsure voice, Ozpin seemed to make his voice go down in pitch and he spoke much more confidently. Even though it was the same vocal chords, it was obvious it wasn't Oscar talking.

Ozcar: It's good to see you children still have your sense of humor. I know you've all been through tremendous hardships already. I'm sorry.

Ruby: I mean, it's not your fault…

Ozcar: It's all my fault, though. I told you once, Ruby, that I've made more mistake than any man, woman, or child. I wasn't lying. I'm… cursed. For thousands of years, I've walked the surface of Remnant… living… dying… and then reincarnating in the body of a like-minded soul. The professor Ozpin you all met was not my first form, and clearly not my last. It's… an extraordinarily strenuous process… on everyone involved.

Jaune: So who… what are you?

Ozcar: I am the sum of countless men and women who've spent their lives protecting the people of Remnant. With every rebirth… my soul eventually merges, and I am changed… but my memories stay with me. This curse was bestowed upon me by the gods, because I failed to stop Salem with my first body. This way, I could try again. And again. That is why… we MUST stop her now.

Rocket: So… your fight with Salem is the entire reason she attacked the academies? That's how it's your fault?

Ozcar: No. It's all my fault because I created the plan to hide the relics in the academies. I put her only targets on Remnant in some the most populated places, filled with innocent lives.

Ruby: So, how do we stop her?

Ozcar: First, we need to ensure the safety of the relic of knowledge.

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As Lionhardt's image faded from the orb, Salem could sense something was off with Cinder.

Salem: You know, you're allowed to speak your mind.

Cinder was standing a bit further off the the side, thinking of how to say what she wanted to say, without getting thrown out the window behind her.

Cinder: It's just… why do we need to go through all of this? With Raven, that is. We are powerful enough to just take what we want. So why?

Salem: Never underestimate the usefulness of others. Take Leonardo for example. He used to be one of Ozpin's most loyal. Now…

She gestured to the now empty orb.

Salem: You will get the power I promised you, but you have to be patient. Just remember. Your powers come with a cost. If that girl has managed to control her gift, you just have to be sure to protect yours.

Cinder bowed, and started walking away, but Salem stopped her.

Salem: Before you go, inform Tyrion that I wish to have a word with him.

For a second, it almost seemed like Salem's eyes glowed red, but Cinder put it off as a trick of the light. She continued walking out. She doubted she would see Tyrion again, after this.

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Weiss was still nursing her bruised skull. Her aura was healing it slowly, but it still needed a bit more time. She was getting bored, but decided not to risk practice again. Instead, she walked back into the control room.

Pilot: I heard some thuds back there. Hope the turbulence isn't giving you too much grief back there.

Weiss: It's fine, it just seems like we're getting more than normal.

Most of the flight had been pretty smooth, but there had been a few more instances of turbulence since her failed attempt at practice.

Pilot: Yeah, these islands are cool and all to look at, but those gravity crystals on the bottoms give us a bit more turbulence here. The islands also might have some nasty grimm. Luckily, it seems like our "friends" are keeping them busy. Still, I've had to go a bit slower so we didn't give off any extra noise-

Weiss: Look out!

She had been gazing out the window, when she saw a flaming ship barreling towards them. The pilot quickly steered them away. The bottom barely grazed them. Then, they saw another ship. This one seemed mostly functional, except for the swarm of Lancers after it. The pilot turned the radio back on. Apparently, they had been broadcasting the entire time-

?: By the gods, we've lost Percy! SOMEONE HELP!

Weiss could only watch in horror as the lancers hooked their ship in-

?: We've been hooked! Abandon ship, ABANDON SHI-

Weiss and the pilot looked on, as the lancers tore the ship into two pieces, before letting it fall to the water beneath them. The lancers finally turned their attention to the ship Weiss was on.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

POV: Omniscient

Pilot: Lancers. It had to be lancers.

He pushed the throttle, and immediately felt the extra speed.

Pilot: Buckle your seatbelt- huh?

He noticed Weiss had gone back into the cargo bay.

Pilot: Kid, what are you doing back there?

Weiss: I'm going to do what we should have to done earlier. You're carrying dust, right?

Pilot: Legally? No. Actually, yes.

Weiss opened one of the containers next to her, to reveal bottles of dust. She quickly began loading her sword.

Weiss: When I give the word, open the door!

The entire ship banked to the left, as a stinger bounced off the metal wings

Pilot: Better make it quick!

She finished, and stood up. She was about to shout to open the door, when she remembered something else she could do. She focused for a second, and a black pull glyph appeared beneath her.

Weiss: Ready!

The door opened, revealing her to the outside. It was then the gravity of the situation hit her. If she messed up one attack and missed a single lancer, she would most likely die. With the utmost attention to form, she formed a flame on the tip of her blade. When she swung next, a slash of fire pushed forward, hitting a few lancers that didn't react and dodge fast enough. Now, she only had thirty-six other lancers to take care of. Next, she formed red glyph in front of her, and began throwing fireballs out of it. But then the pilot sped up again, making it so that it was harder to actually hit things. Thinking about this, she created 6 white glyphs around her. She started focusing on the order she would attack. With perfect timing, she fired white, magic projectiles which could be controlled, and would as easily miss. After sixteen shots, only twenty-two lancers remained. She was about to begin another barrage, when the entire ship shook.

Weiss: What was that?!

Pilot: We're hooked!

He thought desperately, searching for way to get the lancers off. They pulled themselves onto the ship, and began tearing the roof apart. Then, he had his idea.

Pilot: Hold on! Literally...

He turned the ship straight towards and island. Basically playing chicken with the lancers, he waited until the last second. With nearly perfect timing, he whipped the steering wheel downwards. Newton helped out, by throwing the lancers into the wall. Now, 18 lancers remained. Weiss figured out how to get rid of the rest.

Weiss: Can you find two island we barely fit between?

Pilot: Kid, you are reading my mind.

Directly ahead, were two giant islands. The swarm packed together to be able to pursue, but Weiss had other ideas for them.

Weiss: Hold on, and keep going!

She fired one fireball upwards, letting it explode against the side. This started a rock slide, than one by one removed the rest of the swarm.

Pilot: Yah! Good job kid. It should be smooth sailing from here on out.

Weiss relaxed. She was thinking over the fight, when she realized something…

 _Now, she only had thirty-six other lancers to take care of...After sixteen shots, only twenty-two lancers remained._

Where had the other 2 lancers come from? She was snapped back to reality by a low buzzing sound, that slowly crescendoed.

Weiss: It's a queen lancer!

Pilot: What?

While regular lancers resembled regular bees and wasps, the queen lancer was much bigger. It had multiple gaps in it's white, boney armor, from which stingers shot out of. Weiss watched in horror as a black, sticky goop dripped out of one gap, forming into another lancer while in the air. Weiss desperately kept releasing projectile after projectile, throwing everything she had at it. Nothing had an effect. She looked behind her, with the inkling of an idea forming.

 _Weiss: You're carrying dust, right?_

 _Pilot: Legally? No. Actually? Yes._

She used her glyphs for one final push. She lifted all of the dust in the cargo bay, and sent it flying straight into the Queen Lancer's face. The resulting explosion created a large cloud of dust of fire, lightning, and ice.

Pilot: Yah! We got i-

The dust cleared, and the queen was still there.

Pilot: Ok. Seriously, what the f-

Before he could finish his thought, the ship was shaken by an explosion. The queen had shot an engine.

Pilot: Do something!

Weiss, without thinking, jumped back and put her sword into the ground. In front of her, a summon glyph appeared. Bit by bit, her knight rose out of the floor, and stood up straight. At one point, the ship went straight down, and then the knight made its move. It jumped out of the ship, straight up at the queen. In complete unison with the knight's movements, Weiss created a series of glyphs, which the knight jumped between, slashing at the queen lancer as it went. Finally, it jumped directly at the queen, stabbing it. Both dissolved, leaving a trail of white and black dust.

Pilot: Yeah! You did it, kid!

The only problem, was that the ship was still going down. Weiss, even through the mental exhaustion, tried to use pull glyphs to slow the ship's descent. Each and every glyph shattered. There was a massive explosion, and her vision went dark.

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They were all sitting in the atrium, waiting. Only minutes after it had first been mentioned, the entire town knew about Ghira's speech. They were all waiting for it to begin. He was just looking through his notes and prepping his mind. Sun was leaning casually against one of the pillars, while Blake was standing up straight near him. ON the other side of the room, Kali was sitting on the couch.

Ghira: Well, I think it's about time we began.

Kali: It will be fine, dear.

Ghira: It won't be easy for the people to hear, but the truth often isn't. I just have to have faith that they'll do the right thing.

Ghira turned towards the door, and took a deep breath. Then, he felt two hands on his shoulder. To his right, his wife stood. To his left, Blake was looking at him. Then, he felt a third hand. He looked behind him, to find Sun.

Sun: You got this.

Ghira turned back to the doors. Slowly, he stepped forward and pushed open both. Sunlight flooded the atrium.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

POV: Omniscient

When his eyes adjusted to the much bright outdoors, he could see that everyone had come. They had set up an area to fit around 100. There were 150 in front of him, and more were watching from the street. He realized he had stopped to observe his surroundings, and continued walking forward. Finally, he reached the pedestal. Without looking, he knew Blake, Sun, and Kali were on the steps behind him.

Ghira: Thank you all for assembling here. I wanted to take time to put to rest some of the rumors that have been circulating around our island. I believe it is important for everyone to understand the truth. No matter how you feel about the human race, I think we can all agree that the Fall of Beacon can be considered a tragedy. A tragedy that set back both humans and faunases. While the main aggressor is still unknown, we do have official confirmation that Adam Taurus, the leader of a particular splinter group of the White Fang, was indeed involved in the attack. His actions not only tarnished the reputation of the organization designed to bring peace and equality to all, but the reputation of our entire race. With each day this man remain unpunished, it becomes increasingly difficult to condemn those that look down upon us. Recently a spy from that same splinter group set sites on this very home. My daughter, Blake, and her friend did their best to apprehend this individual, but were unsuccessful after being physically assaulted, and seriously injured. However, they were successful in collecting the assailent's scroll. From it, we have discovered that Adam Taurus has plans to overthrow the current leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan, and take the position as his own. Sadly, his plans do not stop there. According to the scroll, he has plans in place to eventually lead an assault on Haven Academy, leading it to the same fate as Beacon. Their plan is to strike at the next full moon, in roughly two months. I have sent a messenger ahead to the Mistral Counsel, but I believe we have a greater responsibility. My relationship with the White Fang has been… rocky, to say the least. Years ago, I led the organization to help try and create a world where faunases could walk along side the human race. While I believe we made great strides toward this goal, I became aware that the people both in and out of the White Fang wanted faster results, results that I could not achieve. Because of this, I stepped down and Sienna Khan was chosen as my successor. While it is true that I do not condone many of their methods, I do condone what Sienna fights for: the idea that humans and faunases are equal, and should be treated as such. Adam Taurus does not have that goal in mind. What he has done, benefits no one, but himself. I think it's time that we show the world that we all are equal! It's time that we snuff out this splinter group once and for all! It's time that we restore the white fang to what it once was!

The crowds were ecstatic. He knew they would be. He also knew they wouldn't be after what he was going to say next.

Ghira: To do this, I think the answer is clear: We need to go to Haven, and protect it at all costs!

That was the second the crowds stopped cheering.

Ghira: There is no way the humans will even give us a chance, after everything Adam has done. The only action, is to right his wrongs. He destroyed a school, so we must save one! I'll hand the mic over to my daughter for the details.

He walked back, meeting Blake in the middle.

Ghira: You can do thi-

?: Traitors!

A piece of white cloth flew threw the air. Illia stood up. The crowd stepped back giving her an open space to stand.

Sun: Illia…

Illia: Cowards. After everything the humans have done to us, everything they've put us through, you just want us to, not just forgive them, but protect them?

Ghira: I know we haven't been treated fairly, but-

Illia: Where was our help when the Dust Companies treated us like slaves?! Where was our help, when the kingdoms hunted faunases, just for being who they are?!

She reached up, and took off her mask.

Illia: Where was my help when my family was killed in a dust mine? Where?

Ghira: Progress takes patience and cooperation from both sides.

Illia: You… your family is the worst kind of faunases. You want us to work with the people that are holding us down!

She put back on her mask, and turned her speech back to the townspeople.

Illia: If you want to truly help your fellow faunases, now is the time to follow Adam, not the Belladonnas. Only he can bring about the future you all deserve. And if you are unwilling to fight, then the white fang will fight for you!

Suddenly, Sun jumped at her, trying to tackle her. He had walked into the crows as soon as she had showed up. She reacted quickly, immediately grappling to a nearby tree.

Guard: After her!

The crowd erupted into chaos. Corsec and Fennec looked on, smiling. The result they had hoped for had been achieved.

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Weiss woke up, hurting all over. Her head was throbbing, and her eyes had yet to focus. She could barely move her head. She looked around, well, as far as she could, as her vision slowly returned. The plane had crashed. That much she was sure of. Suddenly, she heard footsteps from behind her.

Weiss: Help… please…

Then, her "savior" stepped into view. Or really, saviors. There were two of them. Both were young men, one with a sword, one with a submachine gun. One had and eye-patch, with spiky brownish-red hair, while the other one had a clean shaven head, and a belt with extra cartridges of ammo. They just smirked.

Bandit: What do you think?

Then, a third person she hadn't even heard coming stepped into view. She had long black hair, and red clothing. When she looked down at Weiss, she could see the woman had bright red eyes.

Raven: I think we just hit the jackpot.

Weiss' eyes widened, as the woman kicked her in the face, knocking her out once more.

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?: Adam, I'm not going to tell you this again.

They were standing in an ornate hall, mostly decorated with red and gold. Occasionally there was a white fang symbol sewn into the decorations. Actually, Adam wasn't standing, he was kneeling, and the woman who was talking to him wasn't standing either. She was sitting on the throne, on a raised platform with steps leading down to the ground level, where Adam was.

?: I'm not going to repeat myself, so listen closely when I say that the white fang will not be attacking Haven Academy.

Adam: High Leader Khan, I am begging you-

Sienna: You should beg for forgiveness, and nothing else! The assault you led on Beacon was not the great victory for faunas that you clearly think it was. You should be grateful that your punishment wasn't more severe. You are a symbol for many in our organization, but that doesn't mean you can jt do anything. You're not infallible.

Adam: I was merely trying to follow your example, high leader.

Sienna: And what example would that be?

Adam stood up, strengthening his appeal.

Adam: Strength. Strength, and unwavering conviction. The humans have seen that strength now.

Sienna: I was the first one to suggest violence where it was necessary, because peace breeds complacency, and an acceptance of our place in the world. I will not allow humanity to push us down, without us pushing back. But the destruction of a huntsman academy crosses a line! The loss of the CCT has brought global communication to a crawl, and the white fang is much more of a target now than ever before. You have justified humanity's campaign against us. And for what? Empty promises from a group of humans? Human's we still know nothing about, I might add. These are not examples of strength, but of short sightedness!

Adam: If you want to know more about the humans, then you should talk to them yourself. Hazel!

The two massive doors at the front of the room crashed open, and Hazel walked in.

Hazel: Took you long enough.

Sienna: What is this?!

The guards around her pointed their spears directly at Hazel, ready to kill him at the moment of an order.

Hazel: Apologies. I don't intend to cause any trouble.

Sienna: You brought a human to THIS LOCATION?!

Adam: You need to hear what he has to say.

Sienna: This is grounds for execution!

Hazel: Ma'am, please. No one has to die here tonight. I'm only asking for a moment of your time.

She thought for second, before sitting down.

Sienna: The longer you stay, the less of a chance you have of leaving.

Hazel: I'll take those chances, if you don't mind.

The guards lowered their weapons.

Hazel: I know you don't like me. You don't have a reason to like me. But you don't have to like me to see the results you want.

Sienna: I feel like neither of you fully comprehend what it is that I want. I want humanity to fear the Faunas. I do NOT want to start a war with the humans! Especially one that we cannot win.

Adam: And that's where you're wrong.

He began climbing the steps.

Adam: We CAN win a war with the humans. Not only because we have the support of Hazel's master, but because the Faunas are the superior species of Remnant. We are better than humans, because we have everything that they do, and more. Humans shouldn't just fear the Faunas, they should serve the Faunas.

Sienna: I've had enough of this conversation for tonight. Guards, take them away.

The guards stood there, unmoving.

Sienna: I said, take them away!

Adam: I will admit Sienna, you were right about my popularity. My followers in Vale already see me as the true High Leader, and many here in Mistral feel the same.

The doors opened once more, and more guards flooded in, all with their weapons aimed at Sienna Khan.

Hazel: What are you doing?

Adam: What's right for the Faunas.

Sienna stood up.

Adam: From this day forward, I will be the one to lead the white fang!

Even more guards flooded in, and once more pointed their weapons at Sienna.

Sienna: If you think… I'll just step aside and follow beneath yo-

She looked down, to find Adam's sword going through her stomach. He held her shoulder.

Adam: I know you would never follow me. I'm sorry, Sienna. You were there when the White Fang needed you the most. But now… they need me.

He slid his sword out, letting her fall down the stairs.

Adam: Give our former leader a proper burial. All who were here tonight will claim that Sienna was murdered by a human huntsman. Sienna Khan will become a martyr for our cause.

Hazel watched as the guards filled the tasks Adam had set them, and filed out of the building.

Hazel: When were you planning on telling about that?

Adam pulled a red cloth out of his pocket, and began cleaning his sword.

Adam: This was my business, not yours.

Hazel: It's our business now, and I don't appreciate you withholding things like that.

Adam: I personally don't see anything wrong with this plan. Your master was concerned with Sienna's willingness to cooperate. Now, she doesn't have to be.

Hazel: No one needed to die today.

Adam sat in the throne, his sword still out.

Adam: I… beg to differ.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

POV: Rocket

Nora: This is perfect! We can just take little boy Ozpin to Lionhardt, and have him set things straight.

Ozcar: Please don't ever call me that again.

Qrow: Well, we're not sure that's the best idea.

Nora: Ugh, it's never simple, is it?

She stormed back over to the couch and plopped down.

Ren: But I thought all the headmasters took orders directly from you?

Ozcar: That was certainly the intent. Four lieutenants I can trust, especially during times of reincarnation. But Qrow has been telling me about your encounter with Professor Lionhardt. He isn't just acting irrationally, but he's also disobeying specific instructions I had left him. I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but I also don't want to rule out any possibilities. No one outside this room knows I've paired with Oscar, and I think we should probably keep it that way.

Qrow: Lay things close to the chest until we get a better hand.

Ozcar: Precisely. Now, we have two steps ahead of us. First, we need to enlist the aid of more huntsmen

Ren: But I thought the Mistral Council-

Qrow: Doesn't own every huntsman. I've been here enough times to know where I can find some.

Ozcar: Just so long as they're trustworthy.

Qrow: You can trust them to put up a good fight. I'll throw together a list tonight-

 _Crash_

The table he had put his feet on shattered, leaving a pile of glass shards.

Nora: Good luck with that…

Ozcar: After that, we can move on to step two. Getting all you into fighting shape.

There was a moment of silence.

Ruby: But… don't we already know how to fight?

Ozcar whipped out his cane. It was now inches from Ruby's face.

Ozcar: You can only fight, so long as you have the crescent rose, but you're still lacking in hand-to-hand combat.

Then, the cane moved over to Jaune.

Ozcar: I'm happy to hear that you've improved, Mr. Arc, but sad to say that you have not yet unlocked your semblance. All of you have come a long way, but you have an equal distance in front of you before you will pose any sort of threat to Salem and her forces. And though Oscar can give me temporary control, he'll need to strengthen his body, and his aura.

 _Oscar: Wait, what?_

Ozcar: He'll inherit my muscle memory in time, but practice will expedite the process.

Nora: Well, if Qrow's out looking for huntsmen, then who will teach us?

Then, Ozcar suddenly put his cane to the ground, and pushed off, flinging him almost to the ceiling, before he landed gracefully on the chair. He began spinning the cane as he talked.

Ozcar: Well, I was the headmaster of an academy. I'm pretty sure I can do.

Everyone was shocked at how easily he moved. Ozpin hadn't really been at the peak of his youth, and we had never seen him fight.

Ozcar: We have approximately one month before classes resume. Salem will probably attack before then, leaving us not much time. But at least it's something.

Rocket: I just have one question. Shouldn't Ruby and I work on mastering our silver eyes? After all, it will make a huge difference if we can easily take out Cinder.

Ozcar: No, the silver-eyed powers are difficult to master, and neither of you would be able to do it within a month. Your time would be better spent practice with skills you can use on anyone. Just one more thing: Don't expect me to go easy on you.

Then, the greenish glow passed through him again. Immediately Oscar lost control of the cane, not knowing how to spin it, and soon flipped over the back of the chair. We peaked over the chair to check on him.

Oscar: You've got to be kidding me…

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Weiss woke up again in a wooden cell. Her hands were bound together with simple rope, but it was enough without Myrtenaster. She looked up, and found that it was getting late. The guards were still awake, though. One of them was drinking heavily, but the other one noticed her.

Bandit 1: Well well well. Look who's awake.

He nudged the other bandit, and he stopped drinking to look.

Weiss: What's going on? Where am I?

Just then, a young woman pushed aside a nearby tent flap and stood up straight. She had brown hair, drawn back into a ponytail, and bright blue eyes, almost the color of Weiss'. The bandits jumped down into attention. The one with the drink quickly put it behind his back.

Bandit 1: Vernal…

Vernal walked right up in front of the cage, holding Myrtenaster. She began inspecting it. Weiss, immediately annoyed by this other girl's mere presence, stood up.

Weiss: What do you want.

Vernal: Straight to the point. I like it. We don't normally traffick people. Not really worth our time. But, once we realized we had a Schnee, that all changed.

Weiss: You're going to ransom me back to my father. Is that it?

Vernal: It's a shame you're a Schnee you would probably do well around here.

Weiss: I would never sink to your level.

Vernal: Just keep quiet and cooperate. Before you know it, you'll be back at your mansion.

Vernal started walking away but then paused.

Vernal: Don't make this complicated.

Weiss then found out she had a lever.

Weiss: What's going to make this complicated, is when my sister finds out I didn't make it to Mistral. You know my sister, don't you? Winter Schnee? She's a Special Operative of the Atlas military. She's in Mistral now. And when she hears I've gone missing, she'll-

Vernal: You really don't get it, do you?

The two guards began chuckling.

Weiss: Wha- What's so funny?

Vernal: If you remember, Atlas just closed its borders. That includes recalling all military personnel. She actually left just yesterday.

Weiss was crushed. Her only hope of being rescued… There was nothing she could do. Actually, there was something she could do.

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That night, once everyone had gone to sleep, Weiss was still awake. She quickly sat up and opened her hands. In her hands, a small summoning glyph was made. The glyph glowed bright for a second, before disappearing. Now standing in her hand was the knight. Or, at least, and action figure sized version of him.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

POV: Omniscient

Yang had been on her motorcycle for another day. This time, though, the bandit she had punched was sitting as far back as possible. She was not going to make the mistake of touching her again.

Bandit: Here.

Yang slid the motorcycle to a stop.

Yang: Are you sure?

Bandit: Yeah, just let me go ahead and get things ready.

He got off and quickly dashed off into the woods. Yang waited…

And waited…

And waited…

Finally, she decided to do something. She took of her sunglasses, which we wore to keep the wind out of her eyes, and took of the riding gloves. She had just finished, when she heard a click behind her. Without looking, she spun around and took the bullet on her arm. When the smoke from the impact cleared, she saw that the bandit was back, but he wasn't alone.

Bandit: I can't BELIEVE you were dumb enough to let me lead you here.

There were now around 10 people standing in a circle, surrounding her.

Yang: Is this everyone?

Bandit: Yes, little lady. This is it. Well, unless you count the whole rest of the camp back that way…

As he said this, he pointed over his shoulder.

Yang: That way? Good to know.

Bandit: Now, to pay me back for this tooth, we're going to take your bike. And you're going to take your lumps.

Yang cracked her knuckles, and then swung her hand down, opening the Ember Celica to full size.

Bandit: You might have gotten the jump on me last time, but I doubt you can take all of us!-

Out of her other, robot arm, came another tube. It came out at around the wrist, in basically the same place as the Ember Celica.

Bandit: All right, get her!

He simply stood back, and let everyone else run forward. After all, they probably didn't need him to take down one girl. Yang told a different story. She walked forward to meet the first person. He tried a straight kick at her shin, but she just blocked it with her own foot. Then, she caught his fist as he tried a punch, and twisted. The force flipped him. While he was still in the air, Yang punched him into the ground. The next bandit had a sword. Yang rolled under the first horizontal stroke and swept their feet out from under them. The next person tried to just run at Yang, but she used her previous momentum to plant a kick straight on their chest, launching them into another bandit. Then she used her arm to block bullets from another bandit. His gun was a little too accurate, and all of the bullets hit her arm. As soon as he ran out of bullets, she was off. She launched herself using Ember Celica, and hit one bandit foot first. She used him as a sort of springboard and landed fist first on another bandit. Now, she was right next to the bandit who had the machine gun, who had fully reloaded. Before he could fire, she kicked the gun out of his hand. Two people had walked up behind her, and she spun around with a roundhouse kick, hitting them both in the face. As she finished, a bullet flew past her face. She turned, to find the original bandit had shot at her. His gun had also stopped working.

Bandit: Come on, come on…

Yang rocketed forward, and the man lost another tooth. She surveyed the destruction around her. Her hand started shaking, and he held it to calm it down. As she was walking away from the carnage, the bandit shouted to her, too beaten to actually stand up.

Bandit: Who- Who are you? Oh, it doesn't matter anyways. As soon as Raven hears about what happened, you're dead!

Yang stopped.

Yang: Maybe, but I doubt it. After all, I am her daughter.

Bandit: I'm dead…

And then, he passed out, the exhaustion finally reaching him.

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POV: Rocket

The fight in front of us was almost sad. Since Oscar generally needed work on everything and Ruby needed hand to hand, Ozpin decided to pit them against each other. They were pretty evenly matched. They engaged at around 1 hit every second. Ruby would throw a messy roundhouse punch, and Oscar would block. Oscar would try an even messier uppercut, and Ruby would dodge. Though, with time, we watch the fight speed up. Now, it felt more like a fight rather than a sparring match. Ruby tried a roundhouse kick, which Oscar ducked under. He then immediately tried a right jab, which Ruby blocked. Oscar kept on the offensive, though, and followed with a left hook. Ruby blocked that, too, before dashing behind him. All of us were looking on, impressed at Oscar, at least.

Jaune: Man, Oz was right. Oscar is picking up on this quickly.

Finally, Oscar broke through Ruby's defense and nailed her square in the face. She was spun around by the impact.

Oscar: Oh my gosh, are you ok?

Then, something interesting happened. Ruby growled. She spun around and immediately planted a jab on his nose. The force sent him sliding across the area they had set up for sparring.

Ruby: Yah! I did it!

Oscar groaned.

Ruby: Oscar?

 _Ozpin:_ _You forgot to engage your aura again._

Oscar: Why didn't you tell me?

 _Ozpin:_ _This way makes you more likely to remember it. Mind if I switch in?_

Ozcar stood up, his eyes yellow again.

Ozcar: Nice job, Miss Rose. But you seem to have forgotten, Oscar does not have the years of experience that you have. Well, and that I have.

He raised his fists in front of him, an obvious sign of who Ruby would be fighting next. She immediately started backing up.

Ruby: Um, actually I think it's time to take a break! Yah, a five minute break sounds great right now!

Ozcar: Miss Rose, you know there is absolutely no way you are getting out of this fight.

She reluctantly put up her arms in a fighter's stance. Ozpin waited until he could see that she was ready. Then, he dashed forward. Ruby was desperately blocking punch after punch, when she decided she needed to go on the offensive. She tried a right hook, but it was easily blocked by Ozpin. She ducked the next kick he tried and then decided to throw a curveball. She dashed behind him, and jumped. What kind of attack she was going for, I have no idea. All I know, is that she put her head way too far out and Ozpin took advantage of that by jumping. His head connected with her chin, launching her onto her back. The hit was so hard, I think all of us felt just a bit bad for her.

Ozcar: Next time you try a right hook, remember to step off with the appropriate foot. And also, try to learn the basics before you move on to aerial combat. As always, be aware of any openings.

Ruby: Got it…

The green glow passed through Oscar once again, and he collapsed to the ground.

Ruby: Are you okay?

Oscar: How is this so exhausting?

Rocket: Your body isn't used to this kind of training. Of course, it will get easier with time, but you have to be patient. When a muscle is tired, it will come back stronger.

Ren: Not to mention generating a defensive aura. Right now, it takes an immense amount of effort, but it will soon become second nature. That will allow you to slowly heal yourself, and deflect attacks. After that, you can begin focusing on semblance, whatever it may be,.

Oscar: Semblance?

Nora: Like your very own superpower!

Huh. I guess up to this point, we had somehow never told his about semblances. We had covered aura, and basic combat, but never semblances.

Nora: Everyone has one. It's just the matter of finding it, and mastering it! For instance, Ruby can move super fast, electricity makes me stronger, Ren can mask emotions, and Jaune… um…

Jaune: I don't ha-

Ruby: Jaune's like you! He hasn't discovered his yet! We all know you two will find yours eventually, though! We just have to help each other get stronger.

Oscar: Wait, what's Rocket's?

Rocket: Temporal Distortion. I can remove myself from the timeframe, basically letting me move and process stimulus much faster when it's active.

Ruby: Oh yeah, why don't you use it more often?

Rocket: It has a serious downside, that I'd prefer not to talk about…

Ren: Anyways, a common philosophy is that a warrior's semblance is a part of who they are. Some say your personality and character can define it entirely, while others say it's the other way around. Meanwhile, there are still many who don't believe that a connection exists at all.

Nora suddenly dashed over. Seriously, she's faster than Ruby half the time.

Nora: It's hard to know when you "know", but it normally appears during an important part of your life. Sometimes, it appears during a stressful situation, like mine and Ren's.

Oscar: Stressful?

Ren: I'd… prefer not to talk about it.

Oscar: What did you mean by stressful for you, Nora?

Nora: Oh, you know. Got struck by lightning and didn't die. Crazy Thursday.

Ruby: But other times, it just happens. Like I discovered mine during a training session.

Oscar: Wait, what about you, Rocket?

I thought about saying that it was a touchy subject, and I would prefer to not talk about it again but decided I should at least talk about my life sometimes.

Rocket: Well, the night my parents were killed, I was the last one alive, and only armed with a small knife. One of the men who broke into my house shot at me. I closed my eyes to brace for an impact that never arrived. When I opened them, time had stopped around me. That night, no one was found alive at the scene of the crime. Remember the downside I mentioned? Well, I could easily use my semblance all the time to kill anyone I want. The problem is something I got my first taste of as an 8 year old child. When I step out of time, I constantly hear voices in my head, telling me to kill. If I don't resist, I go overboard. I fear if I kill anyone using my semblance, I would fully lose my mind, and kill anyone, and everyone near me.

There was a stretch of silence after I told my story. Jaune seemed even more depressed than before.

Jaune: Something has to be wrong with me. I meditate. I train. I do all these things, but… nothing.

Ozcar: Don't worry, Mr. Arc. Your journey is far from over. The same might be said for all of you. Unlocking your semblance isn't the end, but the beginning. It will always change, evolve. If you are willing to put in the hours of work, who knows what could happen.

Ruby: Then let's get back to it!

And there is Ruby's unexplainable ability to easily disarm any sort of awkward situation with only a few words. She and Oscar walked back out to the circle and began sparring once more.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

POV: Omniscient

Yang walked into the camp. The bandits had followed her in to make sure she didn't cause any trouble. She doubted that they could stop her, but knew her mother could. As she walked through the camp, she noticed that everyone seemed interested in her. People in the camp seemed to only have either brown or black hair. The brightest she ever saw was a dark gray. She arrived in front of her mother's tent. She didn't know what to say, but was confident the words would come if they had to.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Weiss didn't know why the guards suddenly got up and left, but she did know that she probably would get another opportunity like this. She began to prepare her knight, this time charging it with all the aura she could muster. As soon as the knight was ready, it cut her free from the ropes and began sawing through the cage. The cage was solid metal, and she wanted to make sure she could bust out easily, without the cage walls getting in the way. She had done this every night, but she hadn't cut herself free before. If she had, she would have been caught and punished. This time, though, she was going to leave.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

More and more bandits closed in behind her. She knew she wouldn't need the exit, but it definitely didn't help with the anxiety of seeing her mother for the first time. Then, the tent flap was brushed aside, and her mother stepped out from the giant tent she lived in. She looked just like she had in the pictures, except for one major difference. She had a mask on. This mask wasn't unlike Adam's, and her hand began to shake again. She calmed it down and looked back up.

Yang: Mom.

Raven reached up and took her mask off. After she had done that, Yang could see that she had dark red eyes, like Qrow's. She knew it was Raven.

Raven: Yang. So, after all this time, you finally decided to visit me.

Yang: You know how long I've been searching for you? Years! It's not like I've known where you were since the beginning, after all.

Raven: And you found me. You were patient, determined, and strong enough to make your dreams a reality.

Yang grinned, as she noted how little her mother knew about her. If she had seen Yang for even a day, she would have known Yang had been anything but patient.

Raven: Well done. But did you really have to be so rough with my men?

Yang: I didn't want a fight. They started it.

Raven: Well, you certainly finished it.

Yang wasn't impressed. She knew Raven was trying for something with all these compliments, but she didn't know what. Raven broke the silence.

Raven: I'm sure this is all very overwhelming, but I must admit that you've proven yourself. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. You can stay with us tonight, and we will have the cooks make something special for you-

Yang: That's not why I'm here.

Raven: What was that?

Yang: I'm not here to join you. My sister is somewhere in Mistral. Qrow is with her, but she still might need me. I just need you to take me to her.

Raven: And why would I do that?

Yang: I guessing saying "because we're family" won't work?

Raven: Family. Only coming around when they need something. I have to say, I'm disappointed. You found me, so why can't you just find them?

Yang: Because I have no idea where they are. I know they are headed to Haven academy, but I have no reason to think they've made it. They could be anywhere. So, instead of driving around for what could end up being months, I thought that you could save me some time. Dad told me how your semblance works.

Raven: Tai…

Yang: You can bond to certain people. Once you do, you can create a portal straight to them. You have one for dad, one for me, and one for Qrow. He promised me that he would look after Ruby. I know he's with her because I trust him. Just make a portal that can take to me to Qrow, and I'll be on my way.

Raven: It's very noble how you want to help out your sister, but I'm afraid that if she is with Qrow, she is already a lost cause.

Yang: What do you mean?

Raven: You don't want to get mixed up in all that. Ozpin is not the man you think he is. And Qrow is a fool for trusting him. I would know, I trusted him once, too.

Yang: I don't care what you think. All I want is to make sure my sister is ok.

Raven: Your choice is your own. All I'm suggesting is that, instead of getting wrapped up in something too big for you, for any of us, you think that maybe you are already where you belong.

Yang: Save your breath. I don't care about the adventure I'll probably get wrapped up in… Nothing is going to keep me from getting to my sister!

Raven: Well aren't you stubborn?

Yang: You probably know who I get it from.

The silence stretched out. Yang was standing in front of a camp of too many bandits to count, and her only safe pass, that she was the daughter of the leader, was losing its strength

Raven: Well, if that's how you feel, we're done here. Take her away.

The bandits started advancing. Yang blinked. Her eyes had gone from a light lilac, like her father, and turned to a blood red, like Raven.

Yang: I think you didn't hear me. I said, take me to Qrow, d***it!

Bandit: Hey! Watch your language in front of our leader!

Yang: Make me.

The bandit ran forward. He hadn't been at the fight earlier, and he hadn't seen what she was capable of. She ducked under his lunge with a single-sided shortsword and swept his feet out from under him. While he was in the air, Yang did what she does best. Punch stuff. He was sent flying across the camp, and he hit a tent, collapsing it.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Weiss had been in the cage, for a good 5 minutes now. The knight had just finished sawing through the bars, when a she heard a gunshot. She looked up, to find that a tent had collapsed, allowing her to see what was going on that had attracted everyone's attention. She saw familiar blond hair and red eyes.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

She watched the tent fall over, knowing no one would mess with her after that. Then, she saw someone. Someone with white hair, and a dirty blue dress.

Yang: Weiss?!

Weiss: Yang?!

They looked at each other for a few more seconds, before Weiss broke the spell, turning to her knight.

Weiss: Well, subtlety is officially out.

She focused, and the knight suddenly grew in size, destroying the cage as it grew. Weiss ran forward, her knight protecting her. She made it to Yang, and they stood back to back, ready for any foe.

Yang: What the heck is that?

Weiss: Don't worry about it, I'll tell you later. What are you doing here?

Yang: Well, that woman over there is my mother, and she can take us to Ruby.

Weiss: You mother kidnapped me?!

Yang turned to her mother, shocked.

Yang: You kidnapped her!?

They turned back to the still slowly advancing crowd of bandits and ran forward.

Yang: Frostburn?

Weiss: Sur-

A bolt of lightning interrupted both her sentence and their charge. They turned to Raven and found Vernal standing there with her hand up.

Vernal: Enough!

Raven: Thank you, Vernal. If you people don't keep it together, this place will be crawling with grimm! Now, Vernal, give the girl back her weapon.

Vernal almost turned back and asked why, but she decided it wasn't worth death, and threw Myrtenaster to Weiss.

Raven: You two. In my tent. Now.

Yang: Why?

Raven: If you are really going to go after your sister, you'll have to know the truth.

And with that, she walked back into her tent. Yang turned back to make a comment to Weiss but was instead met with the girl's arms.

Weiss: I've missed you so much…

Yang's eyes faded back to lilac, and she returned the embrace.

Yang: I missed you, too.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

POV: Omniscient

Blake walked down the steps of her house. She turned back to Sun.

Blake: Okay. You ready?

Sun: Well, I've beaten up giant robots more than once, and fought against a massive dragon grimm. I think I can handle getting a few signatures.

He opened his scroll, revealing the screen they were opened to. It was an easy way for people to put their names down for something. The "something" they had today, was titled "Haven's Defence"

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Blake stepped up to the wooden podium. It was normally used for advertisement, and could be rented out for any purpose. They had rented it for a few hours. She realized people were looking at her, going against the entire reason she had signed up for that position. People normally ignored the advertisers that spoke up there. She took a deep breath, before throwing her hesitation to the wind.

Blake: Your chieftain needs you! Your people need you! Please! Join the fight and help us save Haven Academy!

No one walked up to her to sign up. They just continued on with their day. Blake was pushed to the background, and ignored for the rest of the day.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

While Blake was unsuccessfully trying to get people to sign up, Sun was roaming the streets, looking for people who were interested.

Sun: We'd love to have someone with your skills on our side!

?: uh…

Then, the door of a nearby house opened up, and an elderly woman stepped out.

?: Mata! Get back inside!

He shrugged at Sun and walked back inside.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Next, Sun tried asking anyone who was nearby. First, he angled himself on a tree and hung down, startling the person he was trying to ask, and destroying any chance he had of signing them up. He was quickly taken out of the tree, as it fell, being part of the lumber mill.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Finally, after four more unsuccessful attempts at chasing down signatures, they met back up at a table, overlooking the bay for a midday snack, also known as lunch.

Sun: I just don't get it! How can they do nothing, except watch as the white fang kills innocent people, apparently in their name?!

Blake: Well, not everyone is like you and me. That's kind of just the type of people they are. The faunas that weren't born here came because they were tired of fighting and struggling. They just wanted to be left alone. But here we are. Asking them to sign up for a fight. To put the rest of the world before themselves.

Sun: I guess that kind of makes sense…

Blake: What they don't see, is that Haven is going to affect them, whether they like it or not. If Haven falls and Adam gets his way, the people here won't just be left alone anymore. They have to get involved to not be involved.

Sun: Adam… He's the guy you used to… work with…?

He said those last words almost with a visible question mark. He began nervously stirring his coconut milk.

Blake: Yes.

She said it so sharply, he could almost feel rigidness of her words.

Sun: Sorry… forget I brought it up.

Blake: No… it's fine.

She took a deep breath, and gathered her thoughts. Sun recognized it from when she had talked about her connection with the white fang.

Blake: Have you… ever met someone and thought, "This person is the exact embodiment of 'blank'"?

Sun: Um…

Blake: For example. I remember meeting Ruby, and thinking she is the embodiment of 'Purity' or 'kindness'. After a while, I saw Weiss was 'Defiance'. Yang was 'Strength'.

Sun: What am I?

She grabbed the coconut with his tail, and sipped while the rest of his body held a position of absolute attention.

Blake: Jury is still out on that one, but I'm leaning towards 'Earnest'.

He rearranged himself into a different position that was a bit more comfortable, and sipped his drink again.

Blake: At first, I thought Adam was 'Justice'. Then, 'Passion'. Next, he shifted more to 'Vengeance". And now, I see I was wrong in all of those. Adam is spite. Not hatred or rage, but spite. He won't accept equality, only suffering for what he feels the world did to him. His thinking is dangerously contagious. That's what has me worried about Ilia. She's not like Adam, at least not yet. The thing is, I don't know how long that will last.

Sun: She was your friend, huh?

Blake: She was. Her chameleon traits meant she could pass as human, but she still fought. She could have lived a normal life if she wanted, but she didn't. I always admired that. She lost her family in a mining accident and joined the White Fang. Like me, she was trained on the road. We learned to survive, to defend ourselves. But, as people like Sienna and Adam gained more of a following, she became more dangerous. I guess I did too. My parents tried to get me to leave with them, but I refused. I had Adam and Ilia, after all.

Sun: You know we're going to have to face her eventually.

Blake: I know…

Sun: So what are you going to do?

Blake: I'm going to try to help her the way you helped me.

Sun stiffened, almost dropping his drink.

Sun: Hmm?

Blake: You showed me that sometimes, you need to be there for a friend, even when they don't want you to be. I was drowning in guilt and fear, I tried to push you away, but everytime you came back. You never gave up on me, so I can't give up on Ilia! It's about time I saved my friends for once.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

POV: Omniscient

Oscar let out a battle cry, before charging at his foes. He let out attack after attack but soon became tired. The training dummy was barely damaged.

?: You're really getting better, huh?

He turned to the entrance of the training room and saw Ruby standing in the doorway.

Ruby: It's almost dinnertime! You hungry?

He walked over to the weapon's rack and put the cane away.

Oscar: Uh, yeah… I was about to call it a night anyways.

Ruby: Have you ever fought before?

Oscar: Just the occasional small grimm. Nothing like this…

Ruby: Wow, you look like you've been fighting most of your life.

Oscar: Well, I think that's mostly just Ozpin's muscle memory… It's weird. I've only had the cane a week or two, but it feels like I've had it a lifetime. Longer, even.

He thought about what he said for a second.

Oscar: I… sound like a crazy person, don't I?

Ruby: Just a little. But then again, not all of us have a teacher stuck in our heads. Either way, at this rate, you'll be combat ready in no time!

Ruby watched as it seemed like a shadow passed over Oscar's face. His face fell.

Ruby: Well… um, I'll see you upstairs…

Oscar: Wait!

Ruby: Hm?

Oscar: How… how do you handle all of this?

Ruby: What do you mean?

Oscar: I'm… scared. More scared than I've ever been in my life. More scared than I ever thought was possible. I always knew I wanted to be more than a farmhand, but this? This is terrifying.

Ruby: We all went to Beacon to help people. But you're right. None of us asked for this either. We just have to press on.

Oscar: How can you be so confident? People have tried to kill you! The world's about to go to war all over again! How are you ok with any of this?!

There as a moment of silence, as Ruby let him calm down.

Ruby: I… when Beacon fell, I lost two friends. Penny Polendina and Pyrrha Nikos. While I didn't know then for very long, that doesn't change the fact that they were the two kindest people I had ever met. But that didn't save them. Pyrrha always thought that if there was even the smallest chance of helping someone, then the risk was worth it. Because of that, she died fighting a battle she knew she couldn't win. And Penny… She was killed to prove a point.

Oscar: I'm… sorry.

Ruby: I am scared, but not just for me. What happened at Beacon shows that Salem doesn't care whether or not you're standing against her. She'll just kill anyone, and that's what scares me most of all. Penny… Pyrrha… I'd be lying if I said that the loss didn't hurt, that I didn't think about them every day since I lost them, that I didn't wish I had spent more time with them. If it had been me instead of them, I know they would have kept fighting, no matter how dangerous. So I need to follow their example and keep moving forward.

She had walked around quite a bit while talking, they both had, and she was now standing in front of the window. She turned around, and saw that he had his bag packed, and ready.

Ruby: C'mon! If we don't hurry, Nora will just eat everything. It wouldn't be the first time…

Oscar kept looking out the window, as Ruby walked back to the door.

Ruby: Hey, Oscar? Things aren't going to be easy, but the fact that you're even trying says a lot about you. You're braver than you think.

?: Courage isn't a lack of fear, but the action in spite of it.

Ruby: AGH! Rocket, stop doing that! You walk too quietly!

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

POV: Rocket

I guess I hadn't even noticed myself try to mask my sound…

Rocket: Sorry, force of habit, I guess.

Ruby: How long have you been here?

Rocket: I just got here about 15 seconds ago. I was told to come fetch you two for dinner. The first thing I heard was the bravery part, and I guessed that this was the end of a very long pep talk, and decided to add in more. Anyways, come on. Nora's about to start.

Ruby: NO!

Ruby dashed away, and I left Oscar to his own devices.

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Oscar watched the door, about to follow, when-

 _Ozpin: She really is remarkable, isn't she?_

Oscar: Yeah, she must have been one of the best huntsmen at Beacon, huh?

 _Ozpin: In her own way, but also in many ways, no. She has her quirks and faults, just like everyone else. That's why the huntsmen academies have groups of 4. Each member helps fill any of the other's faults. Above that, she also possesses a certain spark, a spark that can inspire others even in the darkest of times._

Oscar: This all must be hard on her, too.

 _Ozpin: It most assuredly is._

Just then, Oscar heard an earth-shattering roar, coming from the general direction of the dining room. He recognized it as Nora burping.

Oscar: I'm guessing food is completely gone?

 _Ozpin: Most likely._

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Corsec and Fennec were standing a red, candle-lit room. The candles didn't light up the room fully, but enough.

Fennec: Your thoughts?

Corsec: Of no matter. If this is how High Leader Taurus wants to proceed, then we shall make it so.

Fennec: Of course, brother.

They heard the doors open behind them and turned around to see Ilia, kneeling.

Corsec: Sister Ilia, thank you for meeting with us.

Ilia: How may I be of assistance?

Fennec: Please, stand.

Ilia followed his command and stood up straight.

Corsec: We have wonderful news.

Fennec: We have finally received a message from the Mistral brotherhood.

Corsec: Adam has officially claimed his position as the High Leader of the White Fang.

Ilia: Good. And… Sienna?

Fennec: Buried with honor.

Corsec: Other branches have been given the story that was agreed upon.

Ilia: A necessary sacrifice. We won't soon forget everything she did for us.

Fennec: Of course.

Corsec: Your maturity in understanding the situation is appreciated, and it is why we've summon you here this evening.

Fennec: The white fang is experiencing… a transitional period.

Corsec: Growth requires change…

Fennec: And change can be painful.

Ilia: If it is for the betterment of the Faunas, then it's pain we can endure. What is our next mission.

Corsec: Containment.

Fennec: Without the CCT towers available, we have the luxury of control over information.

Corsec: News of Adam's ascension has yet to reach Menagerie. When it does though, the reaction from the citizens will undoubtedly be poor, now that the chieftain has spoken out against us.

Ilia: It's my fault the Belladonna's had any ground to stand on…

Fennec: Do not concern yourself with past mistakes, Ilia. Focus on the future.

Corsec: We have an opportunity for redemption.

Ilia: What do you need me to do?

They could see her resolve was hardened. That was exactly what they had been hoping for. After all, the task ahead would be… disheartening to say the least.

Fennec: The belladonnas are the only remaining threat to Adam's assault on Haven Academy.

Corsec: And so… they must be silenced.

Ilia was devastated.

Ilia: S- Silenced…?

Fennec: Like Sienna, they only stand in the way of our people. We would never put such a burden on your shoulders alone, of course: Your brothers and sisters will be at your side.

Corsec: Your relationship with their daughter makes you an integral part of this operation.

Fennec: We know how close you were with young Blake.

Corsec: Luckily, High Leader Taurus has requested that she be taken alive, but she can not be present to defend her family.

Ilia: But… the people of Menagerie-

Fennec: Will come to understand what happens to those who resist the White Fang.

Corsec: And will be left without a leader until out plans have passed.

Fennec stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder.

Fennec: A necessary sacrifice, sister Ilia.

She looked back up at him almost crying. She took a deep breath, before holding the tears back.

Ilia: A necessary sacrifice…

She bowed, before walking back out. Corsec and Fennec turned back to the hologram projector in front of them.

Corsec: She was right to worry about the citizens. It is possible that they may come to see Ghira as a martyr.

Fennec: It is a risk we must take. For our High Leader.

They replayed his message, as they always did when they were alone. They could see his troubled demeanor and mind.

Adam: They will not be allowed to interfere! The Belladonna name has brought me nothing but grief. You have done well to find the deserter. Bring her to me, alive. But not before you've slaughtered her family.

As the message faded, Fennec went back to replay it again, but then Corsec noted-

Corsec: He seems… unwell.

Fennec: He does carry the biggest burden of all.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

POV: Omniscient

Qrow walked into a bar. That might not have been a rare occurrence, but he wasn't here to drink.

Bartender: Hey, stranger. Can I help you?

Qrow: I'm… looking for someone. Goes by the name Shiro Wan. I heard he's a regular around here.

The bartender, who had been carving a piece of wood using a massive kitchen knife, hesitated for a second.

Bartender: Who's asking?

Qrow: I'm not some… cop, if that's what you're asking. I need Shiro for a gig. He and I go way back.

Bartender: So, you're a friend of his?

Qrow: I guess you could say that.

Bartender: Well, in that case…

 _Boom_

The knife slammed into the counter in front of him.

Bartender: You tell that jerk that he better not show his ugly face around here before he pays the Lien he owes me, or he might find a knife in it!

Qrow started slowly backing up towards the door, not wanting to fight.

Qrow: Did I say friend? I meant… acquaintance. Really, I barely know the guy! We're just colleagues!

He realized he only had the door behind him now.

Qrow: Well, uh, thanks for the time. I'll just be taking off now…

 _Bang_

He shut the door tight behind him. He slid down the wall and took out his scroll. On it, he had a checklist. He was already halfway down, not having found anybody willing to help. He pressed Shiro's name. With a ping, it was slashed through.

Qrow: Great start...

Suddenly...

 _Slam_

...the bartender's knife sliced through the wall, right next to Qrow's face. He couldn't tell if it was good luck that it missed, or bad luck that it hit so close. He was willing to bet on the latter.

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He found two men, leaning on the side of a building. It had been a long day, and he just showed them his scroll. They shook their heads.

 _Ping, Ping_

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Next up were three men standing around a campfire, just outside of town. Once again, he showed them his scroll. Once more, he just got a couple of empty looks and an expression that told him all he needed to know.

Qrow: Ugh…

 _PingPingPing_

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Then, there was a weapons shop he heard a couple liked to hang out around. One more time, he held up his scroll, showing it to the shop owner.

Finally, there was one last house. Heather Shields. He hadn't seen her in a while, and she had apparently settled down since they had last met.

Qrow: I just need one…

He walked up and knocked on the front door. After a few seconds, he slammed a little harder. Finally, a frail-looking man opened the door. He was by no means old. He just looked like a breeze could knock him over.

Qrow: Uh, sorry. I'm looking for Heather.

The man's eyes just grew distant, once again telling Qrow everything. Then, a small child ran up behind his father.

Child: Does this man know where mommy is?

The realization dawned on Qrow, and he began backing up.

Qrow: I'm so sorry to bother you all… I'll just be on my way.

As he walked off into the rain, he heard their door creak shut behind him. He reached into his pocket and retrieved his canteen. He looked at it for a second before shaking his head and placing it back where it belonged.

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Raven sat across the table from Yang and Weiss. A tea set had been set in front of them, and Vernal was currently pouring them all cups of tea.

Raven: Thank you, Vernal. You can wait outside.

She began sipping her tea, as Yang waited impatiently. Finally, she decided to move the conversation along herself.

Yang: So, what is this truth you keep talking about?

Raven: You know, it's better when it's hot.

Weiss: You know, you're really obnoxious.

Raven just sighed and sat down her tea.

Raven; The truth… is that truth is very hard to come by. A story of victory for one is a story of defeat for another. By now, your uncle had surely told Ruby and her friends plenty of stories.

Yang: He's never given me a reason to doubt him before.

Raven: That doesn't mean those reasons don't exist. You know you and your team might as well be the poster children for the huntsmen academies. Your motives vary, but you all enrolled to make the world a better place. It's adorable.

Yang: It's what huntsmen and huntresses do.

Raven: Not all of them. Some are just in it for the money and fame… but most are just looking to grow stronger. Your uncle Qrow and I didn't actually attend Beacon to become huntsmen. We did it to learn how to kill huntsmen.

Yang and Weiss' jaws both dropped to the floor. They glanced at each other, not really sure what to say, or how.

Raven: Daddy and uncle left that part out, hmm? Aside from the grimm, huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and tracking us down. Our tribe needed a counterforce. Qrow and I were the perfect age. The entrance exams were child's-play compared to what we had already been through. We were good. So good, that we caught the attention of Beacon's very own headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he was keeping an eye on us. Back then, I thought he knew. Now, I realize it was team STRQ he was interested in, not just me and Qrow.

Weiss: What do you mean?

Raven: Constant attention. Extra training missions. Turning a blind eye whenever we'd break a few rules… Sound familiar?

Of course it did. That was exactly how he had treated team RRWBY.

Yang: What's your point?

Raven: How much do you know about Professor Ozpin? About his past?

Weiss: He was… a prodigy. One of the youngest headmasters to be appointed to a school.

Raven: Because that's how he planned it. Because the man you know as Ozpin designed those schools, and he has followers in every other academy, who are loyal to him and no one else.

Yang: That doesn't even make sense! How could he have- no, why would anyone- what…

Raven: Old man Oz has a great and terrible secret. One that could spread fear across the world, were they to know. It was a secret that he eventually entrusted to our team. Once I knew, there was no going back. I had to know more, but with every discovery I made, the more horrifying the world became.

Yang: Ok, then just tell us. What is the secret? What is so great and utterly horrifying that the world doesn't know?

Raven: The creatures of grimm have a master named Salem, who will stop at nothing to destroy humanity. She can't be stopped, and she can't be reasoned with.

Weiss: What…?

Raven had stood up and walked around while talking. Now, she turned back to the students sitting at the table.

Raven: You know, you two haven't even touched your tea.

Yang stood up.

Yang: Why… Why should we believe anything you tell us?

Raven: See? Now you're thinking. Asking questions. So far, you've done nothing but accept what others tell you. You need to question everything. Otherwise, you'll end up just as blind as Qrow… and your fool of a father.

 _CRASH_

Yang: DON'T TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY LIKE THAT.

Vernal: You need to calm down.

She had walked in, and had a horse-shoe shaped chakram, with two barrels pointing out of the openings in hand.

Weiss: Yang, please. We don't want to fight.

Raven: Listen to your friend, Yang. They're the only ones who haven't deceived you yet.

Yang: You don't know the first thing about my team! You don't know anything about me! Because YOU WEREN'T THERE!

Yang's eyes faded back to lilac, with tears in them.

Yang: Why…

Raven: I know more than you realize. Not just about you, not just about your team, but other things that I've seen with my own eyes. I've already told you about the leader of the grimm, but what if I told you that I've seen people who can come back from the dead. I've seen magic. And for why you should listen to me? Because I can prove it. You're right, you shouldn't listen to everything you hear. But, if they have legitimate evidence…

Yang: How can you prove something like that?

Raven: You said before how Tai told you all about my semblance, but I doubt he told you the rest about me; what Ozpin did to me and my brother. Follow me, and I'll show you.

And with that, she walked out the other side of the tent. Yang and Weiss, after a quick glance between them, followed. After their eyes adjusted to the growing evening, they could see that they were in an opening. The tents near them were all facing towards the middle ring.

Yang: Mom?

There was no response. She had disappeared.

Weiss: Yang, are you ok?

Yang: I'll be fine once I can get her to take us to Ruby.

Weiss: It's just that… it's ok, if you're not ok.

Yang: You don't believe what she said, right? About Oz?

Weiss: Of course not! Well, not entirely… I mean, there are semblances, aura… but there's no such thing as magic, right?

Then, they heard a cawing noise from behind them. Sitting on the top of the tent, was a raven.

Yang: I've… seen that raven before…

Weiss: Maybe it belongs to your mom?

Yang: Maybe…

Then, the raven took off. It flew over their heads, and disappeared into the nearby forest. They could barely see it over the wall. It was flying directly at them. Suddenly, just before it flew over the wall, it changed. There's no other word for it. Raven appeared where the raven had previously been, and she landed in the middle of the clearing. She stood up, taking in the incredibly confused looks from Yang and Weiss.

Weiss: How did you…

Raven: Well, I could explain it to you…

Faster than Yang or Weiss could track, Raven slashed the air next to her, splitting reality and creating a red blur. It was almost as if the universe itself was bleeding.

Raven: Or you could ask your uncle.

Yang: You're letting us go?

Raven: I'm giving you a choice. Stay here, and I'll answer all your questions, and more. We can have a fresh start. Or you can go through the portal and join Ozpin's hopeless war, meeting the same fate as so many others.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

POV: Omniscient

Yang revved her motorcycle. It was all she was bringing. Weiss was seated behind her. They were facing the portal.

Raven: Just know that if you side with your uncle, I might not be so kind the next time we meet.

Yang: You weren't kind this time.

She revved the engine once more, before passing through the portal. Raven watched as it faded, and wiped a single tear out of her eye.

Raven: I know.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Qrow leaned on the railing, outside of their house. He knew the kids had stayed inside to make dinner. He also knew they would be crushed that he came back empty handed. So there he stood, leaning on the railing and scrolling through the list on his scroll.

Qrow: One or two of them, I would understand, but all of them? It doesn't make sense… So many huntsmen disappearing in such a short amount of time…

Then, he heard a familiar sound behind him. He heard a portal opening.

Qrow: Raven? I-

He paused, halfway through his turn, as he heard another sound. That of a motorcycle. The portal flashed red, and then two people stood- well, more accurately, sat in front of him.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

POV: Rocket

We were all standing in the kitchen, helping cook in some way. Well, all of us except for Nora, who seemed to be eating more than she cooked. And of course, she talked in between bites.

Nora: Are you sure *Gulp* that we need this much *Gulp* food?

Rocket: Well, considering the rate you're eating any extra we might have had, yes.

I turned back to Ruby, who was attempting to make noodles. Currently, she was stirring them in a pot of boiling water. She had been stirring it for the last 20 minutes.

Rocket: You realize if you leave that on too long it'll burn, right?

Ruby: How can it burn? It's in water-

 _Poof_

A cloud a thick, black smoke began pouring out of the pot.

Rocket: Do I need to say it?

Ruby: Ho-

 _Ding-dong_

Ruby: Coming!

Weird… I wouldn't have expected Qrow to use the doorbell, but I guess recently things haven't been-

 _BOOM_

Never mind. I'll have to repair either the door, or the wall it slammed into, yet again. Ruby quickly finished dumping the pasta in the trash. She hurriedly collected a couple different items to put onto a plate and rushed into the dining room, also known as the room connecting to outside. I began following, knowing something would go wro-

 _Crash_

Yep, there it is. I opened the door and walked into the dining room, and immediately knew why Ruby had dropped the plate. Standing in front of us, were Weiss and Yang. Immediately Ruby was in tears.

Ruby: Yang! I- I'm sorry. I know it was a dumb idea! I should have stayed with you, and been there-

Cutting her off, Yang stepped forward and hugged Ruby. The hug told Ruby everything thousands of words couldn't.

Yang: I love you.

Ruby: I love you too.

After a few seconds of soppy reunion-ing, they turned back to Weiss, arms open. She ran to them. That was when Oscar walked in from practice, with no idea what was going on.

Oscar: Who is-

Rocket: Oh, don't worry, I'll fill you in. Fair warning though, it's a long story and I enjoy only telling it in 15 minute segments.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Finally, we started eating. Oscar and Qrow were in the adult table, while the rest of us ate in the kiddy area. No judging. It was much louder over here, anyway. After all, we still had to catch up on 3 separate paths and stories.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Weiss: Wait, so what happened to the scythe?

Rocket: Oh… it got… um, stepped on…

Yang: So, you're telling me that that thing survived beating after beating from grimm, but it could stand being stepped on?

Rocket: Well, that does tend to happen when a giant stone golem doesn't pay attention to where it was standing.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Yang: How do you lose your map at a time like that?!

We had gotten a little bit further. It was a long 6 weeks to catch up on.

Jaune: Oh, trust me, I ask myself the same thing constantly.

That received a round of laughs from everyone, soon interrupted by Nora.

Nora: But hey! At least you made up for it pretty quickly, Mr. Muscles! You should have seen this guy take a giant grimm head on!

Jaune: Well, really we all did it. Only got a few hits in at a time. Rocket here was the real champ. Seriously, how did you think about jumping underneath its hooves to hit it from underneath like that?

Rocket: It was nothing. I think I read it from a book once, but still. You think I did a lot? Did you SEE Ren? He was out of control!

Ren: Sorry, I may have lost my temper for a minute.

Ruby: Out of control in a good way.

Ren: Ah, thank you!

The table once again broke out in laughter

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Ruby: You did NOT!

Weiss: Yep. Right in the middle of the party.

The bowl of food was half empty now. The amount of food meant for tons of professional huntsmen were no match for 7 teenagers.

Yang: Please tell me you let that guy have it!

Weiss: Of course not!

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Nora: Well, I don't believe it!

Weiss had been telling us about mastering her summons. Nora seemed to be in denial that Weiss could simply summon something out of nowhere. Then she heard a grunting noise from behind her. After a short scream, she was on the floor. The white boarbatusk behind her disappeared.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Yang: It's no replacement for the real thing, but it works.

She was modeling her new arm. So far everyone was impressed.

Jaune: Wow…

Ren: Incredible…

I looked over at Ruby, after hearing some sort of sound coming from her direction. As soon as I looked over, Ruby dashed over to Yang to inspect the arm.

Ruby: And it's just as strong?

Yang: Yep!

 _Thud_

We looked over and Nora had her arm on the table. Within seconds, she had cleared away the tons of empty plates and bowls in her way.

Nora: Wanna bet?

Weiss: Now's not the time for-

She looked over to find Yang and Nora already armwrestling.

Jaune: Don't let her beat you!

Ruby: Come on, sis!

Ren: You go this!

Ruby: You can't lose to a girl in a SKIRT!

Weiss: Ruby, you're wearing a ski-

Ruby: WEISS, YOU'RE NOT CHEERING LOUD ENOUGH!

Back on the table, Nora was actually struggling.

Nora: Grr… It definitely feels like the original, I'll give you that.

Yang: Yeah, but this one has a few surprises.

A not very well concealed barrel of a gun popped out of her wrist.

Nora: Wha-

 _Bang_

In one action, the arm fired, and disconnected from its holder on Yang's arm. Nora was sent flying against the wall by the force. There were a few moments of silence while Nora was down.

Rocket: Is that even legal?

Jaune: I don't know. Who won?

Nora: Agh… that- WAHH!

She suddenly realized with absolute horror that she was still holding onto Yang's arm. She threw it as an automatic reaction, and Yang caught it, laughing. She was the only one.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Jaune: Guh… We ate it all… I think I'm going to be sick…

Nora insatiable appetite had been enough to go through most of the meal. The rest of us accounted for about a tenth of the food eaten.

Yang: Easy there, vomit boy.

Jaune: Oh, so we're doing nickname throwback now, are we?

Nora turned and saw Weiss giggling.

Nora: Well, the Ice Queen seems to enjoy it.

Weiss: Hey!

The rest of the room burst out laughing, and, surprisingly, Weiss joined in.

Weiss: I SO did not miss you people…

Nora: Oh, she really DOES like it! Who went and warmed your heart while you were away?

Weiss: Hey! You make it sound like I used to be terrible!

Rocket: Nah. Just a lot to handle on any given day.

The look she gave immediately made me regret ever opening my mouth.

Rocket: Worth it…

Ren: It's been a while. We've all grown in our own ways.

Ruby: You think so, huh?

Ren: Think about how we used to be back at Beacon. Would you ever say you did anything foolish or embarrassing? Or were you perfect?

The room came to a general consensus that yes, we were all idiots back then.

Weiss: Oh, gosh…

Yag: I may have been a bit too overeager to start fighting...

Ruby: You think you were bad? I tried to 1v1 a nevermore on the second day of school.

Rocket: Hey, at least we were able to kill one! At least, after five of us worked together…

Jaune: You think you guys messed up?

Jaune had just gotten back from putting away the empty dishes. His comment made sense though. He probably made the biggest mistake out of all of us, and definitely the most tragic.

Ren: Well, that embarrassment… that will to go back in time and tell yourself to not be so stupid… That just proves that you are different than you were back then. You're smarter, kinder or stronger than you were back then. And we aren't done growing yet. None of us are.

Ruby: Yeah, fun fact: When Ren decides to actually talk, he gets pretty deep.

Nora: Wait a minute, I thought I was pretty great back at school…

Yang: Really? Even at the dance, when you spill punch all over yourself in front of-

Nora dashed over, somehow already with a speaker blasting the song they had played during their synchronized dance number.

Nora: YES, ESPECIALLY AT THE DANCE, THANK YOU YANG!

We all broke out laughing.

Qrow: How can a couple of kids POSSIBLY make so much noise eating dinner?

Nora innocently took out her scroll and turned off the music. We had been caught at probably the most chaotic moment possible.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

POV: Rocket

Storytime was finally over. We had been sitting for nearly 30 minutes, catching Weiss and Yang up on the story of everything. The gods, maidens, and Salem included. Now, we were sitting in silence. Hearing the seconds tick by.

Weiss: So, the maidens. Magic. Salem. It's all true?

Qrow: Yep.

Ozcar: Miss Xiao Long, is this more or less what your mother told you?

Yang was silent. We could almost feel the anger radiating out of her.

Weiss: For the most part.

Yang: Actually, you did miss one thing.

Ozcar: Hm?

Yang: You forgot to tell everyone what you did to Qrow and my mother.

Everyone was stunned. We knew Ozpin had kept a few harmless secrets occasionally, but this was massive. If he in fact did things to Qrow and Raven, that might harm his credibility. He needs to play this part out carefully.

Qrow: Oh, great…

Ozcar: It's not a secret that I thought she would give up that easily… Well, it isn't nearly as earth-shattering as it is embarrassing...

Yang: But still! Why would you do something like that? All I want is an explanation.

Rocket: Well, first it might help if you tell us what the heck you two are talking about.

Ozcar: Of course. Well, my ability to reincarnate, though it a curse, does have the occasional perk. For instance, because of the curse, I can produce magic. Kind of like the maidens' power. Using this ability I gave the Branwen twins the ability to find and "see" more. To move unburdened by their physical bodies. Well… I turned them into birds. Sounds rather ridiculous out loud, doesn't it?

Jaune: Um… what?

Ren: You turned them… into birds.

Ruby: Uncle?

Nora: Ok, now he's obviously messing with us.

Ozcar: Well, more accurately, I gave them the ability to turn into birds.

Weiss: He… he's telling the truth. We saw it ourselves. Yang's mom… changed right in front of us.

Yang: But, why would you do something like that?! What is-

Qrow: Yang, that's enough. We made a choice. We asked for this.

Ozcar: Miss Xiao Long, I can assure you that it was not done trivially. Otherwise, I might have granted to even my entire staff.

Seeing Yang get mad once again at the tangent, I decided to reign the conversation back in, preventing another outburst.

Rocket: As entertaining as that may be, why do you need people to be able to turn into birds?

Ozcar: Well, I needed assistance on gathering intel of Salem's plans. As well as people to search for the maidens when their host becomes unclear.

Ruby: So, why is it so hard? And why not also do this on people like Professor Goodwitch or Ironwood?

Ozcar: Well, they already had their jobs. If they suddenly went missing, people would have questioned it. There is also the problem of magic. My magic, though potent, is finite. Even though the power I gave to Qrow and Raven was rather miniscule, it was all I could do. You see, I gave a great deal of my power to four girls quite a while ago.

That fact slowly sank in. Really, we should have noticed it sooner. Ozpin was the wizard. He stood up. His body almost returning to the older, slower, but more graceful movements.

Ozcar: Miss Xiao Long… It was never my intention to lie to you. To any of you. There are just some things that I did not find relevant to our current situation. Everyone has a choice. The Branwen twins chose to accept the powers, and the responsibilities that came with them. Raven gave up those powers to further her own self interests. And now, you all have a choice. If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time. There is no disgrace in abstaining; only in retreat.

We were all silent. We all knew that we would fight for this cause until our last. At least, all of us, but one. We all turned to Yang, curious as to her reaction.

Yang: I… If Ruby sticks around, then I guess I will too. She tends to know the right side to be on.

Rocket: That does seem to be the case, doesn't it?

Ruby: I'm fine with all these compliments, but I think we need to plan for what comes next.

Yang; Just one more thing.

She turned to Ozcar.

Yang: If we're going to help and keep risking our lives like this, that means no more lies. No more half-truths. We need to hear the whole truth, no matter how irrelevant.

Ozcar: Understood.

Jaune: So, what do we do next? What can we do?

Ozcar: Well, you all should have tonight and tomorrow. You all haven't seen eachother in a while, and should have some time to relax. But after that, I have a new idea for training.

He closed his eyes, and they turned back to brown. There was a moment of silence before-

Nora: OOOOOOOH! Raven? Crow? They're birds! Cracked it.

She leaned back in her chair, pretty full of herself.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The same bandit who lured Yang into a trap was standing guard with two of his comrades. It was a long, boring job. Perfect for people who had failed Raven, which they certainly had. Not only had they failed to stop an intruder, but they had attacked her daughter. He was once more shaking himself awake, when he heard a voice from the forest.

?: Hey, ugly!

He immediately shot awake, gun up. That was when two kids stepped out form the shadows. They seemed to only be teenagers. One was dressed in mostly black and grey, with even gray hair, while the other had lighter tones, but piercing red eyes and green hair.

Bandit: What do you want?

Emerald: Is Raven Branwen home?

He sighed.

Bandit: You know, I've had a real bad week. So I think I'm going to take it out on you two-

He stopped, as he realized there were now 4 people standing in front of him. The first newcomer was dressed in a red dress, and seemed to have part of her face frozen in stone. The other was dressed in a gray suit.

Mercury: Huh, it looks like he doesn't want to cooperate, boss.

Cinder: Then make him.

Mercury: I was hoping you would say that.

They stepped forward, and the bandit immediately started stepping backwards.

Bandit: I really need to stop opening my big-

 _Bang_

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Blake was standing on her back porch, where she had last seen Ilia. She had previously come out, looking for peace and quiet. Now, she hoped someone would talk to her while back there. Sadly, though, Ilia had not been spotted since her last message at the speech. Blake looked over the railing hoping that maybe Ilia was trying to look like she was doing her job. Suddenly, she heard Sun from inside.

Sun: Hey, Blake! You ready to go?

Blake: Almost.

She then noticed a tiny, insignificant piece of paper stuck to the railing. Ilia must have known she would find it.

 _B_

 _Things going too far._

 _Not sure what to do._

 _Find a quiet spot._

 _I'll find you._

 _Come alone. Please._

 _\- I_

She knew exactly what the note meant. She also knew what she meant by a "quiet" place. She and Ilia had devised the system of these sentences around 10 years back, before everything with the white fang. They had originally played a game where they pretended to be white fang spies, came up with codes for various locations around Kuo Kuana, and devised systems for passing secret messages. Oh, how times changed. One had fulfilled their goal, while the other couldn't be further from it.

Sun: Blake! Come on!

She put the note back where she found it, but upside down, signaling to Ilia that she had received the note. Then, she heard Sun walk out the door.

Sun: Is everything ok?

Blake: Yah, it's fine. You go ahead and go to the nocturnal sector. I'll meet you there. There's something I have to… take care of first.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

POV: Omniscient

Ruby was laying on top of a porch, overlooking Haven. This area was peaceful, especially in the early morning, like it was. She watched a dove fly overhead. It's path carried her vision straight to Yang's face.

Yang: Well, you're up early.

Ruby: Hey, sis.

Ruby quickly sat up, patting the ground next to her.

Ruby: So, what are you doing up?

Yang: Couldn't fall back asleep.

Ruby: Heh, same.

?: Well, luckily coffee exists.

They turned and saw Rocket and Weiss standing in the doorway. Weiss was holding a tray containing 3 cups of coffee. Rocket was already drinking some sort of soda.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

POV: Rocket

Weiss passed out the cups of coffee, first to Yang, and then to Ruby. Ruby hesitated, and Weiss seemed to understand why.

Weiss: Don't worry. I put outrageous amounts of sugar in it, just for you.

Ruby: Yah! Nice Weiss strikes again!

Weiss: I will pour this on you, and it will burn.

Ruby: Heh…

After all the mugs had been passed out, Weiss sat down next to Yang and Ruby, mug in hand.

Yang: I can't believe we're actually in Mistral.

Ruby: That's the part you can't believe?

Yang: Well, and all this magic and stuff… but, you know what I mean.

Weiss: I wasn't sure if I would ever see you all again.

Yang: Well, here's to defying expectations.

They clinked cups, and Ruby quickly downed all of her coffee. This was about to get crazy...

Rocket: Now if only all of us could be here…

Yang: Well, Blake made her choice.

Weiss: What's that supposed to mean?

Yang: Well, she could have been here with us if she had just stuck around. It's no big deal, though. It's fine.

Ruby and Weiss glanced at each other.

Ruby: Don't you… want her here?

Yang: And why would I want her here?

Rocket: I don't know, because she's our teammate?

Yang: Is she though? We aren't even in school anymore.

Ruby: Are you still mad at her for leaving?

Yang: Whatever gave you that idea? I'm TOTALLY fine.

Weiss: Ok, calm down.

Yang: DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!

She spun around, eyes red. Ruby looked like she was about to lose it. Yang turned away, before walking away, leaving her coffee steaming on the ground.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Yang had stormed off to her room, and Weiss had followed, leaving me to deal with the hyper, crying Ruby. Ever wonder what Ruby would look like after around 100 grams of sugar? Trust me, you don't want to know. Seriously, Weiss had to have put more sugar in the mug than there was coffee.

Ruby: ButwhywouldshedosomethinglikethatImeanIknowBlakeleftandallbu tshedidn'thavetoshoutatus-

Rocket: Ruby?

Ruby: Yes?

Rocket: Can you try and breathe for a second? I need to figure out if you're about to die of sugar poisoning…

I finally found the bag of sugar, which had previously been full. It was now empty. I think I know where it all went.

Ruby: OhtrustmeIvehadwaaaaymoresugarthanwasinthatcoffeeatoncebefore!

Rocket: And God help the people who were near you when that happened. _I hope Weiss is having a bit more luck with Yang than I'm having with Ruby…_

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Yang was sitting on her bed, thinking. She still had a picture of her team, that they had all signed. She still remembered the day they took it. It had been an interesting-

 _Knock-knock_

Before she could say anything, she heard the door open.

Yang: Look, Ruby, I really don't want to talk about-

She looked up, to find Weiss standing in the doorway.

Yang: Oh, Weiss. I- Did you need something?

Weiss simply walked over to the other bed, opposite Yang, silently.

Yang: Ugh, I know she's our teammate, but I'm not going to just change my mind. I'm sorry, I'm just… I don't think you know what it feels like to be left behind. You have a massive family. Recitals to perform at. Dinners to attend. I had none of that. My mother left me behind just after I was born... My dad was always away at work… I was left to pick up the piece. I had to do it… alone. Weiss, if you have something to say, then say it.

Weiss thought for only a second more, mentally planning how to say what she needed to say.

Weiss: When I was 10, my father finally admitted the only reason he had married my mother was for the family business. It was on my birthday. They both missed he big dinner. I'm pretty sure my mother had always known… thinking back, I probably knew too, but to hear him just say it like that… It finally pushed her over the edge. First, it was separate dinners. Opposite balconies at my recitals. A glass of wine her, a cup there. Then, it was no dinners, no recitals. A bottle here, and a bottle there. Yes, my family was all together, but that doesn't mean we were happy like that. See, you have your version of loneliness, as do I… and I bet Blake does too.

Yang: But she doesn't have to be alone! I was there for her! We all were! She chose to leave.

Weiss: Why do you think she left?

Yang: Hmm?

Weiss: Well, put yourself into her shoes for a moment. The entire time she was at Beacon… she didn't want to open up to people. She tried to keep her past away from us. But, on that night, her worst fears finally came true. The universe proved her right.

Yang: But how can I be there for her if she won't let me? What if I needed her here for me?

Yang put her hands on her face, and began to cry. Weiss moved over to Yang's side, and put her hand on Yang's back.

Weiss: I know it's hard. I wish she hadn't left either. But I'll still be here for her when she comes back.

Yang: IF she comes back.

Weiss: She'll come back.

Yang looked up, curious.

Weiss: Yang, you, Ruby, Rocket, and even Blake are more like family to me than my brother, or even my own father. I would do anything for you all, and I bet Blake feels the same way. So, when she's ready, we need to be there for her. And… I know we're not as close, but I'm here for you, too.

?: There's another factor that we haven't even thought about before.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

POV: Rocket

Weiss: Wait, weren't you in charge of making sure Ruby didn't burn the building down?

Rocket: She hit her sugar crash. She probably asleep right now.

Yang: But what's the reason you mentioned?

Rocket: Well… she might have had family. We know she had been part of the white fang, and that means most likely away from her family. She probably went back to see them.

Then, the fire alarm went off.

Rocket: G** ******!

I sprinted back to where I had last seen Ruby, leaving Yang and Weiss in the room alone once more.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Soon after Rocket left, they heard the door open once more. Ruby was the new arrival.

Ruby: Is everything ok in here?

Yang: Yeah, it is.

Weiss: How much did you burn?

Ruby: Um… I think only the training room. I still have a bit of energy left, though…


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

POV: Omniscient

Blake turned onto Noxim Alley, one of the multiple circadian sectors of the city, and the location referred to as the "quiet place".That was because of its general silence at almost any hour. Even her incredible faunas night vision couldn't see into the shadows created by the looming buildings on either side.

Blake: Ilia?

She walked deeper in and eventually saw a light in front of her.

Ilia: I'm here.

Blake spun around, pulling out her sword as she did so, to find Ilia behind her with her hands in the air. Now, she could see the silhouette of Ilia, the only bit of color being Ilia's grey-blue eyes.

Blake: Ilia, I know you're scared, but you don't have to be. My family and I can keep you safe, just come with me!

Ilia: I'm sorry…

Blake: You can make it up to me by helping us stop Corsec and Fennec.

Ilia: No… I'm sorry.

Suddenly, she closed her hands, and Blake was knocked down by a faunas on top of her. Her sword landed point first on the ground in front of Ilia. Blake pushed the faunas up, and jumped to her feet, but was stopped by a massive string of web, pinning her arms to her side and knocking her to her knees. She looked behind her and saw three faunas had been hiding in the shadows. The faunas who had landed on Blake first grabbed something from his hip and tossed it to Ilia.

?: Well done, sister Ilia.

Once Ilia caught her whip, she turned her attention back to Blake.

Blake: What are you doing?!

Ilia: I tried to warn you, Blake. I'm sorry.

Blake: Don't tell me you're sorry.

Ilia: But I am! I'm sorry it has to be this way, but you and your family are holding the faunas back.

Blake: By trying to protect people? What world do you live in, where attacking innocent civilians is the right thing to do.

Ilia: The same one as you! The world where there's no such thing as the innocent. There are only the humans who hate the faunas, and the ones who stand around and let it happen. Do you know what defeats hate? Fear. I don't like attacking people, but it has given us results.

Blake: Yep. Look where it's gotten you.

A shadow of doubt passed through Ilia's eyes, but left as quickly as it had come.

Ilia: We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good, no matter how much it hurts. This is mine.

Blake: And you think killing me is for the greater good?

Ilia: No, Adam has other plans for you. Killing your family, though, is.

Blake's eyes flew open wide.

Blake: You wouldn't… You can't! I won't let you!

Ilia: I know. That's why you're being sent to Mistral. To Adam.

Blake: Ilia, please! You don't have to do this, this isn't you!

Ilia: Yes. It. Is. You were just too busy falling for Adam to notice. I was always jealous of the way you looked at him back then. I always wanted you to look at me that way…

Her freckles changed color to a bright pink, which she quickly fought back.

Ilia: But we can't always get what we want, can we?

Her eyes had changed color, to a deep red, something Blake had never seen before. She had always had the ability to change her color, but her eyes had always stayed that same blueish-gray.

Ilia: Yuma, with me. You two, get her to the docks.

After Ilia and Yuma, the bat faunas that had knocked Blake down originally, left, the spider faunas yanked Blake to her feet.

?: Let's go, traitor.

Blake: Now!

?: What?

And then, the faunas next to her was tackled, and the spider faunas was soon administered a bo staff to the face. Blake, now without the strings being tightened, ripped out of the webbing.

Blake: Thanks for the backup.

Sun: No problem. You ok?

Blake: You heard Ilia, my family is in danger! Call the police, and let's go.

Sun: I also heard about her cru-

Blake: Not the time!

Sun: Ok…

They sprinted off, Sun calling the police while they ran. Blake followed, calling her mom to warn them if it wasn't too late.

Blake: Come on mom, pick up…

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Kali heard her phone ring, but that was the least of her worries at the moment. She had heard gunshots, when two of her guards had run into the room. On was shot on the way in, while the other flipped a table, and pulled her behind it. Peering around the side, she saw two white fang members standing in the doorway. As she watched, the guard hit one in the shoulder, causing them to fall back. As she turned back to the guard, he was hit in the head. His helmet was enough to absorb most of the impact, but he was still knocked completely unconscious. The pistol he was holding fell next to her, and she took it. Peeking over the table, she fired at the last white fang member in the doorway.

Kali: Get out of my house!

Then, the realization hit her. Ghira had been at the front of the house when the attack started. He had to have been fighting the most attackers.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Ghira had a semicircle of guards behind him, but they were still almost being overrun. As he was thinking this, he quickly caught a kick, aimed by a more reckless attacker directly at his face. He threw the attacker into the wall, knocking them out. He turned back forward and saw another with a sword. They tried a jab, knowing he couldn't block it. He didn't. He dodged it. Stepping to the side, he threw an uppercut so powerful it completely reversed the swordsman's motion, while also throwing them upwards. He turned back to the front, and saw a guard that had found himself in front of Ghira take a fireball to the face, killing him instantly. Ghira looked to find who had shot it, when he saw Corsec and Fennec, with Fennec hold a glowing red dagger and his brother holding a glowing white dagger.

Corsec: Brother, I believe it is time for our dear chieftain to step down, don't you think?

Fennec: I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree.

Ghira turned to the remaining 4 guards. He knew they could take on the basic white fang grunts, but he knew they were outmatched here.

Ghira: Go find my wife! I have these two under control.

As the guards left the room, Ghira ripped off his purple robe. As is fell behind him, he snarled and pushed claws out of his fingertips. Finally, he roared a challenge at Corsec and Fennec. A challenge they gladly accepted.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Raven was sitting in her tent, sharpening her sword, when she heard murmuring from outside her tent. The last time she had heard that, Yang had entered the camp after beating her guards.

Vernal: Raven? We have a problem.

Raven: What is it?

Vernal: She found us.

Raven: Please don't play the pronoun game. Who found us?

Vernal: Salem.

Raven's eyes widened, and she quickly put on her mask.

Raven: Salem. Okay, I'll see what I can do.

She stood up without sheathing her sword.

Vernal: Four of her followers are waiting to speak with you.

Hearing that, she resheathed her sword.

Raven: Ok, we've planned for this. Remember your job.

Vernal nodded, and stepped back outside. Raven took a deep breath, before following.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

POV: Omniscient

When Raven stepped outside, there was once more a circle of bandits around the group of four facing her.

Raven: I don't remember inviting so many guests into our home. So, either I'm losing memory, or you're all losing your spine!

Cinder: Oh, don't be too hard on them, Raven. They just recognize the power of a maiden when they see it. That is also why I would like to have a word with you.

As she said this, Cinder let her power flow enough to make her eye start glowing with an orange flame. Raven turned back to the circle of spectating bandits.

Raven: Leave us. Pack your things, and break down camp. We're moving.

Watts: Now, Raven, you've been on our master's list for quite some time. You can understand when we say we can't let you slip away again, can't you?

Raven: I know all about your master, but I don't believe I've met you all before.

She began walking towards the small group of four.

Mercury: We're the ones you should be afraid of.

Raven: I doubt anyone should be scared of you.

There were only a few things that kept Mercury from attacking Raven there and then. High on that list was Raven's sword, slightly unsheathed to allow for a quick attack directly from the sheath.

Cinder: I'm Cinder Fall. This is my associate, Arthur Watts. And these are my disciples, Emerald and Mercury.

Raven: Hmm… Two kids you've tricked into following you, a disgraced Atlesian scientist, and a Fall maiden with a surname so appropriate, I wouldn't be surprised if she chose it herself. Something tells me you have more than a slight case of egomania. Is that right?

The group was silent, awestruck at her flagrant remarks. Dr. Watts was the only one to raise his finger in objection.

Watts: Technically, I was also a doctor, but must say the rest was spot-on.

Cinder: Well, aren't you perceptive.

Raven: It is what has kept me alive throughout the years.

Cinder: Actually, I'm afraid the only reason you're still alive, is because you have something our master wants. Of course, if I'm wrong…

Cinder created a ball of fire in her hand. Raven wasn't intimidated.

Raven: Vernal!

Vernal slowly walked out of the tent, standing next to Raven.

Cinder: So, this is the long-lost Spring Maiden. Prove it.

Vernal sighed and closed her eyes. Then, she stretched out her hands, as a wind began to blow around her. The affected area from the wind increased, and soon a spiraling grey cloud appeared over their heads. But then, as soon as the wind and storm had begun, they stopped. Vernal opened her eyes as the wind died away.

Raven: Vernal has done well under my guidance. I would take that into consideration before you try anything.

Cinder: Raven, I will not underestimate you and the maiden, so I would appreciate it if you would not underestimate us. There is a very slim chance that you and the maiden could escape here today if it weren't under such kind circumstances. If you truly knew our master, you would know you could never escape her. That's why we've come here today bearing an olive branch.

Watts: You see, the Maidens are merely a means to an end to us. We don't need her permanently, just to borrow her. Salem's true desires lies not with the maidens, but the relics in the vaults. She simply needs those vaults opened, and we will not bother you again. All previous acts of defiance will be forgiven. It's the best deal either of you are going to get.

Raven: You talk as if walking into Haven will be easy.

Cinder: That's because it will be. Headmaster Lionhardt is loyal to Salem now. All we need is the key. You weren't the only one to turn your back on Oz, Raven.

Raven: I don't want to help Salem or Ozpin. I don't want any part of this.

Cinder: That ship sailed when you chose to harbor a maiden. But if you come with us to Haven, Salem will leave you alone. We just need the relic.

Raven: I need some time to think this through-

Watts: You don't have time. In two days, Haven will be destroyed by the white fang. You're going to choose now.

Raven: Backed me into a corner, huh?

Cinder: So, are you with us, or against us?

Raven reached up and took off her mask.

Raven: Agreements like these are built on trust. Forgive me, but I don't really trust any of you. What I'm saying is… I'm going to need more.

Watts: I don't think you understand. You are in a very poor position to negotiate.

Raven: Well, you haven't heard what I want. I want my brother dead.

Cinder: Qrow?

Raven: Is there another? That's right. He knows that I have Spring, and if you get the relic, he's going to become a problem. I already have enough problems to deal with as it is. Now, he doesn't trust me, but he does trust Ozpin's other lieutenants. If Leo is as loyal as you say, then you can order him to invite Qrow right into an ambush. He arrives at Haven, we take him down, you get your relic, and we all leave happy.

Cinder: Now this is a proposition I can get behind.

Watts: Alright, ladies, let's pause for a moment. We have one objective: retrieving the relic of knowledge. Now, Qrow Branwen might be on the list of individuals we would like dead, but he's not going to go down without a fight. And… he's not going to fight quietly. Currently, our advantage is just how you said. We walk straight into Haven, grab the relic, and leave. No resistance, and no one the wiser. A battle with your brother throws that all out the window.

Raven: He's good, but not THAT good. With all of us against him, it will be a breeze.

Emerald: But it's not just him. He has the students with him, remember? He has Ruby.

Cinder: So he does…

Watts: If we leave that school a bloody mess, it will attract the attention of the authorities! The kingdom will be on high alert, and the white fangs attack will be ruined.

Cinder: Then we wait. We wait for two days, then ambush Qrow and the students on the night of the attack. That way, any evidence we might have left will be destroyed along with the school.

Raven: Then, Salem leaves my people alone for good.

Cinder: I think you have yourself a deal.

Cinder stretched out her hand but felt it get pulled back. She looked down to find Dr. Watts' hand around her wrist.

Watts: Wait. Don't think I don't see what you're after. If this plan falls apart because of your grudge with a child, I will not be taking the blame.

Cinder: Then what are you worried about? Just fly home and tinker with your machines. Oh, and tell Salem she'll get what she wants and more.

She shook his hand off, and once more held hers out to Raven. Raven took it.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Back at the Belladonna manner, Ghira had begun his fight against the twins. Fennec fired two fireballs. The first, Ghira rolled around. When he stood back up, he had a spear that one of the white fang members had dropped in his hands. Fennec aimed the second fireball, and Ghira drew back the spear. They both fired at once. The second he threw, Ghira knew it would miss. The spear flew straight past his original target, the fireball, but found a new one, pinning Fennec to the wall by his robe. The fireball still hadn't been hit, and so it nailed Ghira on the should, which was the part facing forward after the follow-through of his throw. Then it was Corsec's turn. His dagger summoned a tornado, which slowly but surely pushed Ghira back. Something no one knew about, was the white fang membre hiding behind a nearby pillar. As Ghira was pushed back, the white fang grunt jumped out from behind the pole, aimed, and-

 _Crash_

-was hit in the face by Sun, who appeared at just the right time. Fennec managed to untangle himself from his robe, and join his brother, who had stopped firing. They glanced at each other, and put the points of their daggers together, both firing at once. The result was a stream of fire spinning directly at Sun, who spun his staff in the opposite direction of the fire tornado to block it.

Sun: Hurry!

The brothers stopped, confused, before hearing a clicking sound from above them. There, they saw Blake, perched on a beam over their heads. They both fired separately, letting Blake easily dodge the projectiles. She landed in front of the brothers, with one hand on the ground, and the other holding Gambol Shroud out to the side. Her back was arched upwards, leaving her open to both the brothers, who took that opportunity to try and stab her in the back. She had planned for this, however, and pulled the trigger on her sword as she used her semblance, leaving behind a frozen version of herself that caught both the brother's blades. Then, she jumped over to her father and Sun.

Blake: Where's mom?

Ghira: I'm not sure, I was ambushed right away.

Blake: Once we take out Corsec and Fennec-

 _Crack_

Fennec had used his dagger to melt the ice, thinning it to the point where he could easily break it.

Ghira: No, go now. You keep assuring me your friend here isn't a worthless waste of space. Let's see him prove it.

Sun: We got this, Blake. I've wanted to do this since the day we met them.

Ghira: You'll have to get in line.

Corsec and Fennec were waiting. Though, if you think about it, it made sense. If they had attacked immediately, they might have had to fight all three. But, since they waited, Blake left Sun and Ghira to fight, making it an even match in their minds. Oh how wrong they were.

Sun: I won't let you down, sir.

Ghira: Shut up and fight.

Sun: Yes sir!


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

POV: Rocket

Ozpin had called us all out onto the training field, not even telling us why. His only other words of instruction had been "don't bring your weapons". When I arrived outside, I found that I was the last one out. I quickly joined the line standing in front of Ozcar.

Ozcar: Now that everyone is here, we can begin. The reason I called all of you out here, is to spar. Now, we've been practicing through sparring for quite a few weeks, but we now have the addition of Weiss and Yang. Because of this, we now have 8 people, leaving with the perfect numbers for a tournament. I've already organized the matchups, based on pure strength. Nora and Yang will go first. Then, Weiss and Ren. Then Jaune and Rocket, before finally finishing off with Ruby against Oscar. One last time. The rules are simple. Any hand to hand combat methods are allowed, aside from semblances.

We all glanced at each other. Yang seemed to be the only one psyched for this. That was probably because we had done nothing over the last few day, and Yang always needs to do stuff. Practicing was basically out, since no one else had wanted to spar, and Ruby had burned all of the training dummies. To deal with her boredom, she had tried cooking. On her first attempt, she somehow managed to burn water while trying to boil it.

 _Yang: Um… oops…_

 _Rocket: How?! Charring water is physically impossible! There's no carbon in it!_

 _Yang: Does that mean I invented a new science thingy?_

 _Rocket: No, it means you really suck at cooking._

I rubbed the side of my head, still sore from that day. That last comment was totally worth it.

Ozcar: 3… 2… 1… FIGHT!

I snapped back to reality, realizing the fight had started. I needed to watch closely, in order to learn their strategies. They started by circling each other, as per usual for fights like these. Nora surprisingly attacked first. She finally put some of her famous infinite amounts of energy to good use. Speeding around Yang, while punching and kicking. Yang blocked all of them perfectly. I could see her focus tightening as Nora's onslaught accelerated. Finally, Nora made a mistake. She went for a punch, but put too much force into it, throwing herself slightly off balance. That was enough for Yang. Yang quickly swept Nora's feet out from under her, and then, while Nora was still in the air, delivering a quick kick to the abdomen. The result was a small trail of displaced dirt where Nora slid to a stop.

Ozcar: And the winner is, Yang! Next up, is Ren vs. Weiss. Please come up to the front, and get into fighting positions.

Now this one would be interesting, as I had never seen either Weiss or Ren fight hand to hand. I would expect Ren to be a bit better at this, since his weapons are closer to boxing gloves than Weiss' is. But-

Ozcar: ...FIGHT!

I really need to stop zoning out… So, once more they began circling each other. I don't know why people do it, except that they do it for effect in movies. And everyone sees them as great models for actual fighting apparently. Both were shy and kind of awkwardly stanced, but Weiss was still had a bit of her previous competitiveness, so, as predicted, she attacked first. This match was a little bit slower, since neither of them are the pillars of strength and fighting Yang and Nora are. Ren's style was more focused on dodging than blocking, and he tended to use swinging punches, where he straightened his arm and slashed, as if he had Storm Flower. Meanwhile, Weiss seemed to have a strategy more reliant on kicking. This worked a bit better than her punches, since she also had heels on. When she attacked, though, she kept form. Because of this, Ren knew exactly what was coming next whenever she attacked, letting Ren easily dodge most of her attacks. Finally, I felt like I could almost see the idea appear in Weiss' head. She then proceeded to kick, and "lose" her balance. It was easy to see from our point of view that she was completely faking, but it gave Ren enough reason to go on the offense. He swung his left arm at Weiss' head, which she caught easily. Not blocked, caught. Then, she landed a kick to the side of his head, before throwing him to the side, almost like a dance move. He was sent spinning away, and soon stopped, but was left dizzy. This opened up so many different attacks, but she went with the biggest one. She ran forward, and, using her forward momentum to increase the force, punched him clean in the face. I could even see Ozcar wince.

Ozcar: Ok, keeping this moving, up next is Jaune vs. Rocket.

After Ren and Weiss had cleared out, we both walked forward and faced each other. I could see how nervous Jaune was.

Rocket: Don't worry, I'll go easy on you… maybe...

We got into fighting position. Or, at least he did. I simply put my hand into my jacket pockets. Ozcar looked at me, curious.

Ozcar: 3… 2… 1… Fight!

Instead of the usual circling. I simply stood in front of him. Already off putting to Jaune, he slowly approached. I could tell his muscles were tensed, ready for any motion that might be required to block an attack. I let him get a little bit closer, before finally taking my hands out of my pockets and putting them into a fighting position. Still, he walked closer. Finally, when we were only around a foot and a half apart, we fought. I went for a straight jab, which he quickly blocked. Unfortunately, that attack was immediately followed by a side-kick, which he was barely able to step out of range of. Of course, he knew he couldn't keep blocking and dodging forever, and so threw a sloppy right hook. I caught it, and quickly sent a left jab at his face. He was so close to blocking the punch, but he only had his left hand, which he had significantly less coordination with. Thus, I nailed him in the face. Of course, he hands flew to his face, as an instinctive reaction, along with the eyes watering. This blocked his view of the devastating right hook, aimed directly at his temple. He went down like a sack of potatoes.

Ozcar: And the winner is… Rocket!

I quickly helped Jaune up.

Rocket: You might want to work on that left hand.

Jaune: Ugh, thanks… Did you really have to hit so hard?

Rocket: Enemies won't be going easy on you, so neither will I.

And then, I turned back to the last fight or this round, between Oscar and Ruby. They stepped up, and I could already see that they were way more confident than they had been during training. Oscar had mostly gotten over his aversion to hitting someone else, finally realizing that Ruby probably barely felt any of the impact. Ruby, meanwhile, had significantly improved, somehow keeping up with Oscar as he recovered some of Ozpin's muscle memory. Even after all those improvements, I noticed that their feet positioning still wasn't the best, but that would require they figure it out for themselves, since everybody is different, and each body has a different center of balance.

Ozpin: Rocket, would you mind counting us off?

Rocket: No problem. 3… 2… 1… Go!

Immediately Oscar shot forwards, knowing Ruby might do the same. He was right. Their fists met in the middle, and stopped each other, neither overpowering the other. Then, almost in unison, they disengaged their fists and continued trading blows. I noticed how their fight seemed to follow the same pattern as all their other fights. Oscar attempted a backwards roundhouse kick, but Ruby caught it. Then, she tried to emulate another move she had seen, and thus tried to throw him over her shoulder. She couldn't move him. Looks like he finally mastered aura anchoring; a method involving the user pushing a part of their aura into the ground beneath their feet. This keeps them from sliding upon a massive impact. Back to the fight… Now, Ruby was doing her usual thing, where she tries to get around him by jumping around him quickly. He easily punch her, since the motion was predictable. The fist grazed her forehead, and only succeeded in aggravating her. She ran forward once more, and tried a leg sweep. This time, he didn't quite engage his aura in time, and went down. The only problem, was she lost her balance and went down as well.

Rocket: Um… I guess no one wins?

Oscar helped Ruby up, before closing his eyes, once more handing the controls over to Ozpin.

Ozcar: I'll give that one to Ms. Rose, even if her swipe was a little sloppy. After all, Oscar made more mistakes than she did.

Ruby: Oh, you kept track of them?

Ozcar: 14-15

Rocket: Also, you both might want to work on improvisation a bit more. You both follow the same patterns every time.

Ozcar: Well, moving on, it's time for Yang vs Weiss. Take your positions!

Yang and Weiss moved forward, and stood facing each other. Weiss was tense, for obvious reasons. Yang, meanwhile, was the epitome of relaxed. She was loosely in the fighting position, and looked almost bored.

Ozcar: 3… 2… 1… Go!

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

POV: Omniscient

Yang walked forward slowly. That was probably the most unnerving part. Weiss knew that Yang slightly out reached her, meaning Yang would always be able to attack first like this. Weiss realized she had subconsciously been moving backwards. She stopped herself, hearing her sister's words in her mind, "Keep moving forwards. The moment you stop pushing in a fight, is the moment you lose." Weiss knew she couldn't sit here and wait, and decided to hurry the fight along, at the very least getting it over with. She dashed forward, apparently something Yang was waiting for. She went for a kick which Weiss rolled under, something Yang hadn't been waiting for. She spun up, trying to sweep Yang's feet out from under her in the process. It didn't work. Her leg simply bounced off Yang's leg, throwing her slightly off balance. She fell back, dodging a straight jab she hadn't even seen Yang start. Now on the ground, she had to roll to avoiding Yang's stomp. She hadn't been holding back, and created a small crater on impact. Weiss quickly sprang to her feet, and almost stumbled. She was standing in mud. Yang was once again walking towards her, at the same speed she had used before. Weiss began forming an idea, but didn't know if she had the timing to pull it off.

Weiss: _Well, I guess it's all I've got…_

She waited until Yang was right about to step into the mud, before sprinting at her. Yang, startled by the sudden action combined with the strange change of friction, fell. Weiss kept moving, hoping her momentum would be enough for a knockout. Yang, thinking quickly, pounded the ground beside her, creating a cloud of dust. Weiss couldn't stop herself in time, and disappeared into the cloud. When the dust cleared, she was on the ground, with Yang standing over her.

Ozcar: And the winner is… Yang!

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

POV: Rocket

With that match out of the way, it was my turn to face Ruby. We walked out onto the field, and held up our fists once more. This time, I also prepared.

Ruby: Not going to go easy on me?

Rocket: Nah. Hey, when was the last time you had sugar?

Ruby: Um… earlier this morning?

Ok, that meant she would most likely have already hit her sugar crash. No outside advantages.

Ozcar: Ready? 3… 2… 1… Go!

Ruby dashed forwards, jumping over me. I had already seen her do do this before, and knew where she would be. I spun around, and my fist met air. She had gone further than usual. The punch had left me open, and she managed to land a punch. Luckily, it didn't do much. Before she could follow up on her advantage, I rolled back to recollect myself. Soon, she came back for another attack. She didn't try the other trick again, and this time attacked in earnest, starting with a aerial front kick. I blocked it by crossing my arms, supporting the top arm to absorb a higher impact. She pushed off, but I added a slight shove to move her trajectory to-

 _Crash_

She landed back first on the ground. She had expected to go higher than she actually did, and left a trail, where she slid along the ground.

Ozcar: And the winner is… Rocket

I walked over to Ruby and helped her up.

Rocket: That was a good idea, mimicking your usual plan, but changing it at the end. The thing is, you should ever leave yourself in a position where your opponent can completely change your movements. I only gave a slight push. If I had pushed a little harder and aimed down, you might not have gotten off with just a scratch.

Ozcar: Final round. Yang vs. Rocket. Fighters take your positions!

I stay where I was, already ready.

Ozcar: 3… 2… 1… Go!


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

POV: Omniscient

Blake burst out of the atrium at a sprint. She had been going for only a few seconds, when she hit the area she knew she would. A split. They led to two different ends of the house, and her mother could be down either. Since she heard fighting down the left side, she decided to turn right. After all, if she had to go back to the other side, Sun and her father might be done. She walked into the dining room. It wasn't the room that she and Sun had first talked to her parents in; that one was more of a break room. This room had one large table off to the side, and a more open area on the other. She began walking across it, when she heard the click of a weapon behind her. She spun around to find Ilia on a raised platform that ran around the room.

Blake: Ilia? Did you come in here to hide?

Ilia: I told you. I didn't want this.

Blake: And yet, you're still here.

Ilia: I don't have a choice…

Blake: Yes you do!

Ilia looked away silently. Blake resheathed her sword, and turned away.

Blake: Just… stay out of my way.

Ilia watched her friend pass through the room. She knew she couldn't let her leave. She jumped down, weakly trying to tackle Blake, urging herself on into the only blame and rage she could muster at her old friend. Instead, she passed straight through the clone, as Blake jumped back away. Ilia quickly recovered, and tried to "shoot" Blake. She rolled out of the way, quickly jumping onto the table. She began running, with Ilia hitting the table behind her. Blake heard footsteps on the table behind her, and turned to face Ilia. Immediately, she had to block Ilia's whip. The attacks were messy, obviously fueled by rage. Blake jumped over the whip, and quickly threw her ribbon, letting it wrap around Ilia's hand. While still in midair, she pulled Ilia up towards her. Because of physics, she also pulled herself to Ilia. As they met in the middle, Blake delivered a kick, composed of their combined inertia. Ilia was sent sprawling onto the table, and she was only barely able to stand up, before Blake landed in front of her, transferring the velocity into her sword. Ilia blocked the sword, creating yellow sparks from the force. It took everything Ilia had to keep the sword away from her.

Blake: Why… why do you think we have to hurt people to get our way?

Ilia: Because it works!

Blake: That doesn't make it right!

Suddenly, an idea struck Ilia. Noticing the sparks, she pulled the trigger, sending electricity running along the whip. The electricity traveled between the two blades, and right into Blake's hand. The muscles in her arm contracted, sending her sword flying across the room, eventually sticking point first into the table. Now weaponless, she turned back to face Ilia. There was a moment that both fighters were still, as there are in so many other fights. Then, in sync, they both sprung into motion. Blake turned to dive for her sword, but Ilia cut her off, jumping off a chair and tackling Blake. The impact sent Blake off the table. Of course, she landed on her hands and knees, and quickly pushed off a clone, which was immediately disintegrated. Blake slid behind a chair, and looked over it to locate Ilia. Her mask was sitting on the ground.

Ilia: Stop lecturing me…

The lights dimmed. The last image Blake had of Ilia was her turning black, and blending in with the darkness. Blake quickly sprinted to her sword, still visible because of the white markings. She slowly began walking back towards the light switch. Even with her faunas night vision, Ilia was nowhere to be found. When she was only a couple feet away from the light-switch, Ilia's whip appeared out of thin air, and slashed at Blake. She only barely had time to dodge, and then open fire to where She guessed Ilia had to be. When she stop firing, she found that "Ilia" had actually been standing in front of the light switch, which was now completely busted.

Ilia: Why couldn't you just LEAVE?

Blake: Because I run away too much.

She heard a creak from behind her, and spun around to once more see the whip shooting at her. She dived behind a chair once more, letting off a shot as she did so.

Blake was about to reload, when she remembered one single fire bullet, and a couple ice bullets she had left over from the train, last year. She glanced up at the potted plants her mother had set up near the ceiling.

Blake: _Sorry, mom._

She raised her gun, and shot the plants. They had been covered in a certain fertilizer, and easily caught on fire. The room lit once more, and revealed Ilia crouching in the corner. She sprinted at Blake, springing over the table. Their weapons made contact once more, and the swords was launched out of Blakes hand, but she easily caught it with her other hand, and continued. Their weapons clashed twice more, before Blake managed to grab Ilia's hair, pulled her backwards. Ilia spun around, only to hit a clone. Blake landed a few feet away, and Ilia ran to once more meet her. Their weapons made contact, but this time, Blake grabbed Ilia's hand, just as Ilia grabbed the other. Blake slammed Ilia's whip to the ground at the same time that Ilia threw Blake's sword. They both rolled away to recover their weapons, and Blake immediately open fired on Ilia. Ilia easily blocked every bullet.

Ilia: Stop running, and fight be like you mean it!

Blake finally ran out of ammo, and jumped out of the way of yet another slash, and landed on the raised platform. Taking cover behind the banister, she switched clips.

Ilia: You used to see things the way I saw them! If no one's going to do anything to stop the humans that attack us, then the only choice we have left is to attack them back!

Blake peeked over the banister, and began unloading her ammo once more on Ilia. Ilia did the same as she always has, and blocked them with her whip.

Ilia: I SAID STOP IT!

She slashed once more, but found that her whip had been frozen solid. Then, Blake's ribbon was once more wrapped around her arm, sending her whip bouncing across the room. Finally, before Ilia could react, Blake tackled her. Now, Blake stood on top of her, holding her down with one foot.

Blake: You're wrong, Ilia. There's always another choice. Ilia, please. Stop fighting. Your a good person, but you're making all the wrong decisions!

Ilia: Shut up!

Blake: Is this what your parents would have wanted?

Ilia: I- I don't know what else to do…

Tears began pouring down her face. Blake could only feel sorry for her friend. Then-

 _Crash_

A large form came bursting through the wall. It was Corsec. Her father lept out behind them.

Blake: Dad?

Ghira: Blake? What are you- GAH!

Blake: DAD!

Ghira reached over his shoulder, and threw Fennec across the room. He had been stabbed in upper back. Suddenly, Ilia, with tears still in her eyes, threw Blake off, and stood. Blake hit the opposite wall with a sickening crack. Corsec ran forward again, and met Ghira. His fists did nothing, as Ghira caught both. Corsec was slowly being pushed back.

Fennec: Ilia! What are you doing? Fight!

With that, he got back out his dagger, and ran back into the fray. Ghira, seeing him coming, pushed Corsec back to face the new opponent. The two brothers fought in perfect unison, but Ghira didn't care. He kept dodging easily and throwing them around. Fennec eventually had time to stand up on the side. He quickly charged up his dagger, and ran back into the fray. Ghira saw him coming, and pushed Corsec away, before catching Fennec's arm. When the fireball shot, it was aim directly as Corsec's chest.

Fennec: Brother!

As Corsec was sent flying, Fennec charged at Ghira once more. This time, though, Sun burst in, kicking Fennec down. With both brothers down, Sun saw Blake get up. There were cuts all over her back from jagged, broken pieces of wood. As she staggered away to get her sword, Sun turned, to find Ilia standing the corner, trying to clean the ice off of her whip.

Ghira: Go help Blake! I got these two.

Sun: Got it!

And so, Sun ran to fight Ilia. They clashed in the middle, but didn't stay still for too long. Sun's bo staff was a blur, as he was energized by revenge. Not only for his own pain, but for Blake's. Ilia wasn't nearly ready for the speed. She kept up for only a few hits, but soon took a barrage of impacts. Of course, she quickly recovered from each one. That is, until she left herself open to a kick. Sun's kick sent her bouncing off the ground. She landed on her feet, and barely had time to block an overhead attack from Sun. As he was pushing, trying to beat her down, he heard a crack. Not from her, but from the whip. They both looked up, to find that Ilia's whip had finally thawed. She smirked, but lost it as he was kneed in the stomach. After only a few quick blows, she was up against a pillar. Ghira, meanwhile, finally beat down Fennec, launching him back through the hole in the wall. Sun only pushed all the harder. Ilia could hear the pillar breaking behind her. Sun's rage was unstoppable. The only thing that could possibly stop it, was-

Blake: Sun, stop! Please.

Sun looked over, and saw that Blake had recovered her sword, but was crying. After all, both were her friends. If they kept fighting, they would tear each other apart. Ilia, using this as a distraction, jumped to the side, leaving the bo staff to only impact the pillar. It cracked on last time, before giving out. Unfortunately, Ilia just so happened to have not jumped far enough away. The pillar came down, along with the section of balcony around it. Ilia looked up, to see Death staring back. Ilia closed her eyes and braced for the impact. It never came. She opened her eyes, to she Ghira standing in front of her, holding up the flaming piece of wood. She was stunned for a second.

Ghira: Move!

She rolled out and away, but Ghira was still under the wood. He was pushed to his knees by the weight. Sun came to the rescue. He quickly put away his bo staff, and closed his eyes. He began glowing with a yellow aura. Two clones popped into existence beside Ghira, helping him lift the balcony. Blake lassoed her father with her ribbon, and pulled. At that exact moment, Corsec woke up, and tried to attack Ghira. He dove, just as Blake pulled. The clones couldn't support the wood by themselves, and it came down on Corsec. Then, they heard the doors behind them open, to reveal Kali, holding a white fang assassin, unconscious, in on hand, and a tray for her tea set in the other. She dropped both, and Blake ran to hug her.

Fennec: B-Brother? NO!

Apparently he had regained consciousness just in time to see his brother crushed by a flaming platform.

Fennec: You… you've ruined everything. EVERYTHING!

He charged forward, but then stopped. He just left out some sort of screech, and fell unconscious on the ground. They could now see that Ilia was standing behind him, with her whip out. Ilia was crying. She fell to her knees, exhausted from everything that had just happened.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

POV: Omniscient

Raven was sitting on her cot, thinking. That was when she heard a few silent footsteps behind her.

Raven: Yes, Vernal?

Vernal: I followed them, just as you asked.

Raven: Do you think they noticed you?

Vernal: Of course not. They have a ship two klicks West of here. Looks like that's where they're staying for the night.

Raven: Thank you, Vernal. Anything else?

Vernal: Do you… actually think that they will just let us go once they get the relic?

Raven: Of course not. They will never leave us alone. One we've been used, we'll just be discarded like some sort of tissue. Salem only uses people as long as they're useful. If we want to have any chance of defending ourselves, we need this relic. If Qrow and those students want to follow Ozpin, then let them. When the chaos reaches its peak, we'll grab the relic and run.

Vernal: And the fact that your daughter will be a part of that?

Raven: It's of no concern. I warned her. She made her choice. This path won't be easy, but we must do what is right for the tribe.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

POV: Rocket

Even though the battle had started, we had barely moved. Our muscles were loose and ready. We knew this would be our hardest fight yet. I waited, wanting Yang to make the first move. She knew I would. That's probably why she didn't. Eventually, I figured that if she wouldn't attack, I would. I didn't quite run, but I quickly shuffled closer. As soon as I was in reach, she attacked, contrary to my predictions. I deflected the punch, hoping she would have thrown everything into it, as she might have long ago. Of course, she didn't. She quickly followed it up with a right hook, hoping to reach around my defences. I ducked, as tried to sweeped her feet out from under her. She jumped over me, dodging me. Using the momentum of the spin, I stood up, now facing Yang once more. Expediting the fight, I tried a straight jab. She deflected it, and tried using her elbow, spinning to increase the power. It almost landed, except that I had leaned backwards, out of the way. Stepping back to keep my balance saved me. Yang had tried to kick my legs out from under me, but could only get one because I had stepped back. Instead, I spun around and kicked. She ducked it, and tried punch, as my back was towards her because of the overshoot on the kick. The hit landed, but I didn't fall (yet). Instead, I stored the energy from being pushed forward in my legs, and pushed back with my elbow up. She wasn't there anymore. Instead, I was suddenly on the ground. I rolled back, and onto my feet once more. I was met with a cloud of dust as she hit the ground where I had been moments earlier. Immediately, the dust went into my eyes, blinding me. I didn't see the fist coming.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

POV: Omniscient

Qrow was sitting on his bed, thinking about their next few moves, when he heard a raven cawing outside. He had just looked up, when Oscar walked in.

Oscar: Um… Qrow?

Qrow: Hm?

Oscar: Ozpin wants to talk.

Qrow sighed, and stood up.

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POV: Rocket

I woke up in the hospital, with a throbbing headache. Everyone was really quick to show me video after video of my demise, laughing the whole time. Weiss was the only exception.

Weiss: Are you sure you're ok? I swear Yang doesn't know her own strength...

Rocket: I'm fine, just a headache. How long was I out?

Ruby: Um… One? Two days?

Rocket: Geez, I'd say that thing hits hard…

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POV: Omniscient

Qrow and Ozcar were sitting in the living room once more, silently listening to the seconds tick by.

Qrow: Things… aren't looking good, Oz.

Ozcar: Ever the optimist. While I wouldn't say our current situation is ideal, I think we can both agree that it could be much worse. Humanity is a resilient species, after all.

Qrow: Even so, pro huntsmen don't just all bite it like that at once. Salem is powerful, and her power is growing by the day. What does that say about humanity?

Ozcar: It says that there are still some who are misguided. Some who have filled their hearts with malice. It doesn't take many of them to cause such harm, just the right ones. Still, I believe there are many in this world willing to prevent it.

?: Um… excuse me?

Ruby walked in, a bit awkwardly, trying not to interrupt.

Ozcar: Ah, Miss Rose. We were just about to gather everyone to discuss our next steps.

Ruby: Oh, uh, great! Um…

Qrow: Something on your mind, kiddo?

Ruby: Well, if it's ok to ask…

Ozcar: Of course!

Ruby: So, we've been talking about the Relic at Haven, and how the Spring Maiden can access it, but what about the Relic at Beacon and Cinder? Does Salem already have the Relic?

Ozcar: Very astute, Miss Rose. I was wondering who would be the first to ask. The answer is no, she doesn't. In theory, that's how it should have happened, but there is another factor. When I hid the Beacon Relic, I made sure is was a bit more… difficult to find. Currently, though, the Haven Relic is in the most danger. For now, it should remain our primary focus. Now, is there anything else I can help you with?

Ruby: Well, I do have one more question…

Ozcar: No, my cane is not the relic.

Ruby: I have no more questions.

Ozcar: While my cane is in fact very special to me, it is just that. Special for me. I admit, it does have a few more tricks up its sleeve, I can safely say that being a relic isn't one of them. So why don't you go gather the other students, now?

Ruby: Ok!

And with that, she was off. Then, she stopped when she heard Qrow's scroll buzz. Of course he answered

Qrow: Yeah? … Okay … Yeah, we'll be there. … Okay, bye.

Ruby: So, uh, what was that about?

Qrow: It was Leo. He said he made a breakthrough with the council. He might be able to get together a small raiding party for the bandits. He wants us to meet him in his office to go over the plan.

Ruby: That's great! I'll go get the others!

She dashed out of the room, fluttering a few papers on the table.

Ozcar: That sounds drastically different than your previous conversation, does it not?

Qrow: It does.

Once more, silence stretched out between them, punctuated only by the ticking of the clock.

Qrow: Thing aren't looking good, Oz.

Ozcar: I know.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-–

Back in Leo's office, the call ended. Immediately his head was buried in his hands.

Raven: You know, I still have questions for you.

She had been ordered to be there to make sure he made the call, without warning the team.

Lionhardt: You definitely aren't alone in that.

Raven: I would never have expected you to be the one to have the guts to betray Oz. That makes me wonder… what does she have on you?

Lionhardt: I'm helping her for the same reason you are. I'm scared. We… we can't stop her. No one can. So why would I join the losing side?

Raven: That's why I left when I did. I'm not afraid, I'm smart.

Lionhardt: You can call it whatever you want, it doesn't make a difference. We're both here… still helping her. I've crossed a line… I've done so many things that Ozpin would never forgive… and he shouldn't. I don't know where to go from here.

Raven: What you have to do, is man up! You did what you had to to survive. There's no shame in that.

Lionhardt: Who are you trying to convince?

Raven took a step back, eyes wide open.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

POV: Rocket

We walked back into Haven Academy. The last time we had entered, we had been a group of six. Now, we were a crowd of nine. We walked in, and once more entered the main quarters building. The first room was a large affair, with mahogany staircase going 15 feet up, in the shape of an A. The stairs were bent around a round statue of some sort of mermaid, or Siren. I noticed there was a small circle on the front, which appeared to have a missing piece. At the top of the stairs, there was a balcony that extended in a semicircle out over the statue. Professor Lionhardt was standing on the balcony.

Lionhardt: It's nice to see you all could make it. There… appears to be more of you than there were last time...

Qrow: Oh, you know what they say, "The more the merrier." So, what's going on with the council?

Lionhardt: Why did you have to bring your weapons…

Seemed pretty hypocritical for someone who had a new something on his wrist, that I would bet is a weapon.

Qrow: What are you talking about, Leo? We're huntsmen!

I looked away from their awkward conversation, and noticed a black bird, sitting on one of the beams. It was a raven. Soon, Yang noticed it, too. Her reaction, though, was very different than what I would have expected.

Yang: Mom?

Immediately, Qrow's sword was out. There was gunshot, and the beam beneath the bird disappeared. It had dodged the blast, though and flew behind Leo. Instead of flying out from behind him, though, a woman walked out. She had mostly red and black clothes, and black hair, along with a grimm mask, similar to the masks the white fang wears. She also had a leftover feather in her hair.

Ruby: Raven…?

Nora: They really are magic!

She reached up, and took off her mask.

Raven: If you're going to hit me, hit me! That was almost insulting.

Qrow: What are you DOING HERE?!

Raven: I guess I could has you the same thing.

She began walking down the stairs.

Raven: You've been scheming, little brother. I mean, really? Planning to attack your own sister?

Qrow turned his attention off Raven, and back to the professor.

Qrow: Leo… what have you DONE?!

Leo: I… I-

Raven: Leo did what any sane person would have done in his situation. He looked at the information he had in front of him, and he made a choice. It seems like you all have, too.

Yang got ready to fight. I put an arm on her shoulder.

Rocket: Yang, she probably expects you to attack now. Rush in again, and it will go just like it did before.

Yang calmed down, her eyes turning lilac once more.

Qrow: You have the spring maiden?

Raven: I do.

Qrow: Then bring her, and join us! If we work together, we can beat this!

Raven: All that time spent with Ozpin, and you still haven't learned? There IS NO BEATING HER!

Ruby: You're wrong.

Raven took a step away from her brother, and looked at Ruby, curious.

Ruby: We've already done thing most people would call impossible. And I know we were only able to do it because we worked together! We had people to teach us. People to help us. We had each other.

She had been walking closer to Raven the entire time, and now extended her hand to Raven.

Ruby: Come with us! I at least know that we'll have a better chance than ever if we work together.

Raven: You sound just like your mother.

Rocket: Ruby!

I saw what was coming. Raven reached down to grab her sword. I grabbed mine. There was a swish as Raven opened a portal, which a fireball immediately came out of, and then another, as I cut through the fireball. As the smoke cleared, there were now 5 people facing us.

Ruby: Cinder…

Everyone tensed. Mercury seemed amused.

Mercury: Come on, guys. Is that any way to greet your old friends?

Every got even more tense. I heard Yang growling. It seems Qrow did too.

Qrow: Everybody, stay calm. We still have them outnumbe-

 _Boom_

We turned, to find that the doors had just slammed shut, with a large man standing in front of it.

Ozpin: _Oh dear._

Hazel: The white fang is prepping demolition. No one is getting in, and no one is getting out.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

POV: Omniscient

The white fang was crawling all over the campus, setting the all too familiar bombs on every building.

Adam: Remember, once the charges are set, move back to the perimeter to watch. Tonight, Haven falls.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

POV: Rocket

Now surrounded, we got out our weapons.

Weiss: This was all just a trap?

Ren: It appears so.

Qrow: Raven… Leo… how long. Tell me. How long have you been working for them?

Cinder: Oh, don't worry, little bird. Your sister was our newest addition, only a week ago. Leo, though? Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a real treat. Even before that, Leo's been sending Salem information for a very long time.

We all looked up at the headmaster. He was just looking at the ground, almost guilty.

Qrow: It was you… You sit on the Mistral council. You had the location of every huntsman and huntress in the kingdom. You gave it all to her.

Lionhardt: I-

Qrow: The reason I couldn't find any of them… is because you let her kill them all!

Leo just kept staring at the ground.

Cinder: Oh, don't beat yourself up about it, professor. I'm sure Tyrion and Hazel would have found them eventually, you just expi-

Jaune: How?! How can you all be so… broken inside… to kill so many people… then to stand here, and rub in our faces like it's something to be proud of…

Rocket: _Oh no._

Nora: Jaune?

Jaune: All with that stupid smile on your face!

Qrow: Calm down!

Jaune: I- I'm going to make you pay for everything you did! You hear me?!

Qrow: Kid!

Every else got their weapons out, ready to fight.

Jaune: Well?! SAY SOMETHING!

Cinder had just been staring at him this entire time, confused.

Cinder: Wait… who are you again?

That broke him. As tears kept pouring down his face, he unsheathed his sword, before completing the transformation. Holding his sword low, he let out a battle-cry, full of anguish, before charging at Cinder. That seems to have been just the response she had been looking for. She had a new trick, though. Instead of shooting fire like normal, she formed a burning sword, out of some sort of crystal. It had a vein like pattern running down the sides, made of pure fire. She grabbed it underhand, and casually blocked Jaune's first attack. Anyone could see he was out matched.

Ruby: Jaune!

She jumped into the air, attempting one of her usual attacks, but was wrapped in chains and dragged back to the ground.

Emerald: You think I'm letting you anywhere near her after what you did?

Then it hit me. They all think that Ruby was the one to finish off Cinder, back at the tower. Cinder probably never saw me. They don't realize I also have the power to destroy Cinder. I snapped back to reality, seeing Yang dash past me. She got stopped by Mercury.

Mercury: Hey there, blondie. I think you owe me an apology for my leg.

Yang, now enraged, launcher herself straight forwards. Then, I overheard Raven speaking to the girl behind her.

Raven: Vernal, get the heiress. Don't bother wasting your powers. She isn't worth it.

Then, without looking, she whipped out her sword and blocked an attack from Qrow she knew was coming.

Qrow: Running away was one thing… but this? You've crossed the line.

Raven: I guess sometimes family just disappoints you like that.

Qrow: We're not family anymore.

And then, the fight became too fast to note anything about it. I then turned and saw Weiss, seemingly overwhelmed by everything that had just happened. The other girl, apparently name Vernal, also turned to face her.

Vernal: Let's see what the Schnee name really means…

With that, Vernal got out two chackram-like devices with two barrels poking out of the center. Weiss took out Myrtenaster, and spun the cartridge.

Weiss: I'm more than just a name, you know.

Vernal: Prove it.

I turned, and saw Nora and Ren facing the massive man that slammed the doors earlier, and Ozcar walking around to the stairs, apparently wishing to face Lionhardt.

Hazel: I don't wish to fight either of you.

Ren: Nor I, you.

Nora: But we will if you're with her.

Hazel: Very well then.

He cracked his knuckles, and began walking towards them.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

POV: Omniscient

After Oscar had snuck away from Hazel and the other fights, he had begun climbing the steps. He had gotten almost halfway up, before Professor Lionhardt noticed him.

Lionhardt:Young man, I don't know what you think you are doing, but, both for your sake and mine, I would suggest you stop it.

Oscar took another step forward.

Lionhardt: I'm warning you!

Oscar still kept moving.

Lionhardt: That's it!

He quickly pushed a button on the front of the cross, and shield opened beneath it. He aimed it horizontally, and then spun it. It landed on fire. Suddenly, a flaming rock appeared above the shield, and flew at Oscar. Oscar paused for a second, before holding both his arms up in the familiar x-guard. The rock was destroyed by his aura; a skill one so young shouldn't have mastered to that level. Then, Oscar explained it in one movement. He took out the cane.

Lionhardt: O- Ozpin?

Oscar: Not quite.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

POV: Rocket

Oscar dash forwards, completely catching Leo off guard. Transferring his forward momentum into his attack, he smashed the shield down, before whacking Leo on the return stroke. As the onslaught continued, Leo could barely keep up. His back touched the banister, and he was only barely about move out of he way before the cane crashed through it. Leo recovered his balance on the other side of Oscar, but didn't get a chance to attack before Oscar spun around and hit him once more. This time, he was sent teetering on the edge of the stairs. Leo regained his balance just in time to block yet another aerial stroke. He was knocked back quite a bit.

Lionhardt: I- I don't understand! How are you back so soon? You made it here… You found Qrow… HOW?!

Then, he heard Ozpin's voice, projected by Oscar without moving his lips.

Ozpin: Leo, what happened to you?

Lionhardt: Wait… You can't have had this form for long. You're not really Ozpin yet. You're just a boy. A CHILD. If I bring you to Salem though, she'll have to be pleased with me… right? Then maybe I can get out of all this. Maybe then I can be FREE!

Leo once more raised his shield, ready to fight.

Oscar: What- what do I do?

Ozpin: _You fight._

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Weiss and Vernal moved quickly during their fight. One moment, Weiss had the advantage, and the other went to Vernal. She had a bit of trouble keeping of with both chakrams at once, but was managing. Using her glyphs as platforms, she jumped around the room to dodge the chakrams, waiting for an opening. She kept up with the chakrams, but lost track of herself. She smashed into a pole, and barely recovered before having to block another chakram, and then Vernal herself. Then, Weiss had an idea. She pushed Vernal back with a glyph, and created a wall of ice between them. She pushed her sword to the ground, and began creating her knight. She opened her eyes, and watched it climbed out of the ground ready to fight, when a laser suddenly cut through the ice, the knight, and almost Weiss. Luckily, she had enough energy left to duck the cut. She looked up and saw Vernal standing on the ice, casually swinging both chakrams at her side.

Vernal: You really thought I would let you get the easy way out?

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Jaune once again clashed with Cinder, a clash that ended with him being pushed to the floor.

Cinder; Oh, I think I remember you! You're that one kid who couldn't tell when he's in over his head.

Urged on by his rage, Jaune stood back up, and charged again.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

On a different area of the battlefield, Ruby continued to battle Emerald. She could get close enough to land a hit, even with her 7 foot long scythe. Emerald used the full advantage her chains brought by extending them while swinging. Occasionally, she retracted them and switched to guns, like she was doing now. Ruby, knowing she couldn't get close, focused on blocking.

Ruby: Why are you doing this? Salem-

Emerald: I don't care about Salem! But Cinder… I owe her everything!

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Weiss once more dashed forward, jabbing as she did so. Vernal stepped to the side this time. Weiss caught herself with a glyph angled perpendicular to the ground, and launched back off. She ducked one chakram and blocked another, her sword sliding through the gap in the blade. She realized too late that Vernal still had the laser gun barrels, completely unblocked. She fired, and it broke through Weiss aura instantly, almost breaking the skin before Weiss could move. She screamed in agony.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Jaune had just disengaged with Cinder when he heard Weiss' scream of agony

Cinder: Hmm… are you going to let her die, too?

Jaune: Stop MESSING WITH ME!

A flame burst to life around her eye.

Cinder: Wish granted.

She held her sword, and concentrated for a second. Then, the crystal exploded out, releasing the flame trapped within. Now wielding a sword of pure flame, she faced Jaune, who hesitated only for a second before charging.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Then Ruby, who had been easily winning against Emerald, turned noticed Jaune. She was stunned, images of her last sight of Pyrrha emerging. Then, tears began rolling down her face, before they turned a bright silver.

Ruby: NOOOO-

She then fell to the ground, unconscious. The burst had had the desired effect, though, and Cinder doubled over, falling to her knees. As she looked up, all she could see was Jaune's sword, inches from her face. With the reaction time of lightning, she launched herself to the side. On a different area of the battlefield, Emerald still stood over Ruby, with her sickles ready for a final strike to kill.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-––––

POV: Rocket

That was where I stepped in. I dashed over, and once more saved Ruby's life by blocked the blades, inches away from her back.

Rocket: _Now you owe me 4_.

I fought against Emerald with everything I had, but soon found myself fighting hallucinations over and over again. I just hope that anyone else was doing better than I was.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Jaune fell flat on his face, his sword spiraling away from him. He rolled onto his back and began to sit up, when he fell a force on his chest. Standing over him was Cinder. Her eye was once again burning, possibly brighter than before, she pushed harder.

Cinder: Did you think you actually had a chance against me?! ME!?

Her eye went out.

Cinder: You're just a failure with a deathwish.

Jaune: If I die buying them time, then it's worth it.

Cinder: Hmm, really?

Still holding him down with one foot she turned to look at Weiss, who, according to information from previous years undercover, used to be Jaune's crush. She held her hand over her head, and a javelin formed.

Jaune: NOOO!

She stepped forward, off of Jaune, and threw the javelin. Weiss felt a jolt of pain course through her body. She looked down, and only saw darkness looking back. She collapsed as the javelin disintegrated, leaving a crimson stain on her dress.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

POV: Omniscient

Jaune, now free from Cinder, stood up and ran across the battlefield, sliding to a stop next to Weiss. He had no idea where to even start. Oscar saw everything that had happened, and glanced at Ruby, who was still unconscious. Knowing what he had to do, he smashed Leo, who had also been rubbernecking, back off the stairs. In any other situation, it would have been almost comical. He bounced down, and bumped into Hazel, who had just beaten back Ren and Nora again. They took that distraction, and Nora joined Rocket and Oscar, who had knelt as Ruby's side. Ren, meanwhile, went to help Jaune with Weiss. Hazel turned to Leo, lifting him to his feet.

Hazel: Don't let that boy make a fool of you.

Lionhardt: That isn't just any boy! That's OZPIN! He's already reincarnated.

Hazel let go of Leo, and turned to the boy, still trying to wake up Ruby.

Oscar: Ruby, get up! We need you…

Hazel saw the cane.

Hazel: Ozpin…?

Ozpin: _Oh no…_

Rage filled his eyes as he ripped his jacket apart, revealing his bare arms. Underneath, he had a simple black shirt, and two pockets at each side.

Hazel: You thought you could hide… from ME?!

He took out what seemed to be two yellow dust crystals; electricity crystals.

Hazel: You… you'll pay for what you did. You'll die! Over, and over, and over again!

Then, he did something no one expected. He jabbed the dust crystals into his arms, straight into biceps. The group watched as his muscles seemed to almost absorb the electricity. He grew in size, breathing heavily as the energy coursed through him. Then, he roared. His voice had deepened, probably another side effect of all his muscles growing, including his vocal chords. His eyes glowed yellow. Oscar began backing away, his cane raised.

Oscar: Do- do we fight?

Ozpin: _No, RUN!_

Oscar couldn't react fast enough as Hazel jumped directly towards him. Luckily, Qrow could. He disengaged from his sister and almost tackled Oscar to the side. Cinder watched in disbelief.

Cinder: Ozpin is HERE?!

Raven: Is that a problem?

Since her brother was now desperately protecting Oscar, she didn't have an opponent.

Cinder: I'm… not sure. Either way, we have the upper hand. Leo! Open the vault!

He looked up, still exhausted from the beating he had received from Oscar.

Lionhardt: Yes ma'am…

He quickly stood, and then ran as fast as he could to the statue holding up the balcony. There was a small circular slot on the front, and he quickly removed a stopwatch he had in a pocket and pushed it into the hole. The entire balcony clicked, and It lowered down. Cinder, Raven, and Vernal stepped into the circle. Yang looked on, and hesitated.

Nora: Go! Stop them! We've got your team covered!

Yang nodded, and made it two steps before being knocked down. She looked up, and saw Emerald and Mercury.

Emerald: You want to make it to her? Then you're going to have to make it through ALL of us.

As Yang stood up, a ring of Mercuries took from around her. All at once, they all crossed there arms an all too familiar smirk on their faces.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Jaune and Ren sat next to Weiss. Jaune had his hands over the injury, making a feeble attempt to stop the blood.

Jaune: Ren, talk to me.

Ren: This… isn't looking good. I can't quite place the injury, but it could be in one of two places. Either her lower intestine, or her lungs. If it is her lungs, she could die any minute. If it hit her lower intestine, she has a little longer, but blood loss is still severe. Without proper medication and bandaging soon, she doesn't stand a chance.

Jaune: No, no, not again, NOT AGAIN! Please Weiss, stay with us…

It's almost as if Weiss heard him through her mist of pain and weakness caused by the blood already lost, because she tossed, and muttered something incohesive.

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Cinder: Just make sure they leave Ruby alive, Salem has asked for her personally. This won't take long.

And with that, the elevator began moving. Raven looked on last time at her daughter, before she was replaced by the walls of the shaft.

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Weiss woke up in a strange world. Around her, she saw no life except for one thing. A person in the distance. Decorating the land, she saw a strange purple crystal. Upon closer inspection, the crystals were emanating darkness, similar to a fire emitting light. She could find no light sources, but she could strangely see through the darkness. Ahead of her, there were two paths. The person was standing in the middle. More accurately, the silhouette was standing at the fork. Weiss struggled to remember what had happened. It felt like years ago now, but she remembered a massive pain coming from her stomach. She had heard Jaune shout her name before the darkness had swallowed her. She began walking forward. She heard vague words coming from all around her. She could barely pick out Yang's shouts, Jaune's pleading, and Hazel's roars from the noise. She finally made it to the fork in the road. She tried to get the silhouettes attention by clearing her throat, and was actually successful. The being turned around, and jumped, as if startled by her.

?: Ah, Weiss Schnee! I wasn't expect you for at least another year, but is still a pleasure!

Weiss: Who… Who are you?

?: You do not need to know me yet, as your stay may only be temporary. You see, you have a choice to make. As you can see to my left, lies a chasm.

Almost as if on que, it seemed like a fog was lifted and she saw just that. A deep chasm.

?: And to my right… a light.

She didn't even have to turn to know what the being had said was true. No matter where she looked, she could see the light shining from that direction.

?: You see, you could walk to the chasm, and jump off. Don't worry, the fall won't hurt. There, you'll find my house. I'll get to know you a bit more, and maybe we can talk for a while. If you turn the other way, however, you'll go to the light. There, you'll find familiar faces.

Weiss: Wait, am I… dead?

?: As observant as ever, I see… No, you are most certainly not dead. You are dying, though. That is the crux of this decision. If you choose the light, you will go back to your own world. The world of pain and suffering. You will have to make it there, though. And that trip, I must say, is probably the hardest you can ever make. Well, at meet you at the house, if you choose it. Don't worry, we'll see eachother again, no matter what decision you make.

And with that happy message, Weiss was left alone with the biggest decision of her life- or, well, death- ahead of her.

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Hazel slammed the ground, as Oscar jumped back again. Qrow was on the ground behind Hazel, barely conscious after a massive hit.

Ozpin: _Oscar_.

Oscar: No!

He jumped back again as Hazel swung his fist another time.

Ozpin: _Oscar!_

Oscar: I said no!

While he was distracted, Hazel had taken the liberty of closing the distance between them, and punching him squarely in the stomach. He was sent flying, and smashed into the wall.

Ozpin: _Oscar, let me take over! I can handle him!_

Oscar: You've told me I need to fight for myself. Well, that's exactly what I'm doing.

Ozpin: _This isn't your fight._

Oscar: What's that supposed to mean?! Why is he so upset with us?

Hazel: He didn't tell you my tale, did he, boy? I thought you looked familiar… to think that you had that evil inside you all along…

He raised his arms into a fist over his head.

Hazel: Your blood won't be on my hands. It will be on his.

Qrow recovered just in time to jump in front of Oscar. Hazel redirected his punch, and instead hit the ground. The shockwave launched Oscar and Qrow back once more. Qrow immediately stood up and ran forward again. He was joined by Rocket, who had also been knocked around throughout the fight. Neither of them could keep up with Hazel's raw power, and were soon back on the ground.

Oscar: What was he talking about?

Hazel: Tell him, Ozpin. Tell him how you KILLED HER.

Ozpin: _You see, Gretchen Reinhardt was Hazel's sister. Despite her brother's wishes, she enrolled in Beacon, and tragically lost her life on a training mission. Hazel hold me responsible. Please, let me fight him. I know Hazel, he's wounded in a way that cannot be healed._

Hazel: You know now. Now, you can forgive me for what I'm about to do.

Oscar: Did she know?

Hazel: What?

Oscar: Did she know the risk of becoming a huntress?

Hazel: She was only a child! She wasn't ready.

Oscar: She made a choice! A choice to put others before herself? And so do I.

Hazel sighed.

Hazel: Then you've chosen death.

Ozpin: _I'm sorry._

Oscar: What?

Then, he shut his eyes as a blade of pain ran through his head. He fell to his knees. When he opened his eyes, they were a light green.

Hazel: OZPIN!


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

POV: Omniscient

Ren and Jaune were still standing over Weiss. Ren was checking her pulse, but almost wished he hadn't.

Ren: She… She's hardly breathing. I don't know what we can do…

Jaune looked at Weiss face once more. Her head was moving, her mouth saying words, but she wasn't making a sound.

Jaune: Come on, PLEASE! We can't lose anyone else…

Then he closed his eyes, as tears rolled down his cheeks. He felt a warmth in his hands, as, unknown to him, a light enveloped Weiss.

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Weiss had found one of the crystals that was in a comfortable enough position to sit and had been doing that for the last few minutes, just thinking. She thought about how much had happened to her. The good. The evil. She took all of it into account, thinking of the net goodness of the world. She almost felt pulled to the chasm. It would be so easy… Unconsciously, she began moving towards the chasm. She jolted away only a few feet from it, and quickly backed up. She had finally tallied the net goodness to be positive. She knew she should stay. But then again, did she really value the bad correctly? I mean, some of that stuff really sucked. Once again, she found herself hovering towards the edge. Finally, she turned defiantly towards the light and began pushing towards it. And when I say pushing, I mean PUSHING. It took serious effort to go towards the light. She was exhausted, only after a few feet. She remembered how easy it was to go to the chasm… and once more, she was standing at its edge. Then, she once more began hearing voices. Except for this time, they were different. She heard Yang's shouts and realized most of them were from pain. She realized Hazel's weren't. Then, the biggest one of all hit her. Jaune's pleas were for her. They were for her to come back. She heard a full snippet of his words as clear as day. _We can't lose another one._ She felt her dress grow wet, and she realized it wasn't blood or sweat, it was tears. Her friends had already gone through so much, she had to make it back to them. Not only for her sake, but for theirs. She cleared her mind of everything, except for thoughts of her friends, and the good times they had gone through together. Still, she felt the pull of the chasm. She didn't think about it, though, and marched on. She began to feel tired but knew that if she rested, she would end up back _there_. Still, she walked closer to the light. She couldn't even see how far she had come, but she didn't worry about it. All she knew was she was tired. Soon, she could barely keep it out of her mind. Suddenly, though, she felt energized. She looked down, to see herself glow. She began walking forwards again, except now, every step she took put her further than 10 steps previously. Now, she might be able to make it back in time.

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Ren watched in amazement as Weiss began to be covered in light. Her pulse had almost stopped. He wasn't sure if it would ever start again. Suddenly, she gasped. She wasn't conscious yet, but her breathing had started again. Her pulse came back stronger than ever.

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Raven, Vernal, and Cinder descended in silence. They had been silent ever since entering the elevator. They didn't know what would be ahead, for any of their plans.

Cinder: Are you nervous, girl? The first maiden, in… well, I'm not sure anyone knows how many years, is about to open a vault. I would say it's quite an exciting time. Aren't you honored?

Vernal: No. I'm not concerned with any of this. All I care about is my tribe- my family. This is a burden, not an honor.

Cinder: Well, don't you have her trained well, Raven.

Before Raven could respond, a golden glow filled their vision as the elevator entered into the open. The vault was a massive room. At one end, there was a massive tree, which caused the glow. Its leaves were mostly normal, but some glowed orange and yellow. As they descended, those leaves began falling. The elevator finally stopped, and the metal gates opened, allowing them to finally step off the elevator.

Cinder: Well, it certainly is grander than Beacon's. I wonder what the extra effort was for?

Raven: Can we please not linger?

The other two realized they had been standing still while admiring the massive cavern in front of them.

Cinder: After you.

Vernal went first, with Cinder following in the middle, and finally, Raven. She put on her helmet and followed Cinder.

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Ozcar was a bit closer than he would have liked, but you don't always get what you want, do you? He ducked under one punch and leaned back to dodge another. Finally, he rolled to the side, dodging yet another. He recovered his balance while Hazel pulled his hand out of the beam he had just lodged it in. Leo, from further away, took aim at Ozcar. Fortunately for Ozcar, Leo was interrupted as a bullet hit his gauntlet. He turned to find Qrow, changing the gun back into a sword before charging. Meanwhile, Hazel walked back up to Ozcar, towering over him. Naturally, Ozcar wasn't afraid. He immediately began jumping all around Hazel, dodging every strike that could have gotten close. At the same time, he struck every inch of Hazel's body. After kicking off of Hazel, his momentum carried him to the steps, between them and the middle area. He ran up the side, dodging two bolts of lightning Hazel launched and ended by striking Hazel in the face. Hazel tried to punch him as he was close, but Oz jumped back quickly. Then, because Hazel left the perfect opening, he jumped forward and rapidly jabbed Hazel as fast as he could. Finally, he rolled between Hazel's wide open legs, and spun around, powering up his strike. The cane hit the fleshy area beneath Hazel's ribs, putting Hazel on the ground. Ozcar walked back towards Hazel, who was on his knees. Hazel wasn't going down, though, and slammed the ground.

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Jaune and Ren were watching as Weiss' breathing began stabilizing.

Jaune: What… what's happening?

Ruby: Weiss!

Ruby suddenly ran over, having just woken up.

Ruby: What happened?

Ren: I think she's going to be ok!

Jaune slowly lifted his hands, showing that the wound had almost healed. Ruby heard her sister's cry of pain and turned to see Yang being beaten senseless by Mercury. Yang shook her head and charged, just to run straight through a hallucination. Ruby saw her charging at nothing. Then, she felt the ground shake and saw Ozcar fighting Hazel. He was able to keep up with Hazel but then was hit in the back by a massive rock. He recovered just in time to see Hazel about to punch him in the face. Qrow appeared in front of him and tried to block the fist, but his movements were sloppy. Hazel instead sent him crashing to the roof. Ruby also saw Rocket, slumped against a wall, already out of the fight.

Ruby: Ok, Oscar needs help. Ren, you get on that.

Ren: Got it.

Ruby: Nora, Jaune and Weiss still need cover.

Nora: No one's going to touch 'em.

Ruby: Make it happen, RNJR!

Once more, she turned to see Yang being hurtled across the room by a kick. Emerald ran forward, about to follow up the attack, but Ruby slammed into the ground in front of them.

Yang: Thanks, sis. You okay?

Ruby: No. I'm angry.

Then, they charged.

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Vernal, Cinder, and Raven walked forward and stepped onto a glass panel. This panel seemed to sense their presence and lit up. A line of light shot out towards the tree, and the blue raced up the tree, forming a vein-like pattern. The glowing leaves began to fall. Vernal caught one, and looked at it closer. It didn't even seem like a leaf; it was more of a tongue of fire.

Cinder: Having fun yet?

Vernal was snapped back to reality, as she dropped the leaf.

Raven: Stay focused. We don't want this to take any longer than it has to.\

Cinder: Oh, come on, Raven. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Let her enjoy it.

Vernal turned back towards the vault. The door itself wasn't made of wood or other natural materials but instead was made up of small circles of paper. They looked like a breeze could knock down the door.

Vernal: So… how does this work?

Cinder: When the spring maiden touches the door, it will open. Then I will walk in and retrieve the relic. No one else. Is that clear?

Raven: It doesn't matter to us. Let's just get this over with.

Cinder: Right. Vernal, would you care to do the honors?

Vernal glanced uneasily at Raven, who nodded. Confidence restored, she walked forward, to the vault door. Raven watched as she approached the door. She moved one hand to her sword.

Cinder: You know, Raven… I've heard so many stories about you. About how you are a cunning leader… That you're clever. Too bad they're wrong.

Immediately, she knew her plan was out.

Raven: Verna-

Years of training, instilled into Vernal by Raven, awoke in her mind. She immediately spun around, almost before the cry was finished. Time almost seemed to slow down around her as she finished the turn… and immediately was pinned to the wall, an overwhelming pain coming from her abdomen. She looked down, to see an arm, sticking out of it. Raven, still standing behind Cinder, was frozen solid. Cinder's dress had ripped at the sleeve, revealing a black arm similar to the knuckelavee, an arm that was now sticking through Vernal. Vernal knew no help could come. Instead, she focused on trying to pry the claws out of her stomach.

Cinder: It's nothing personal, dear. You just… aren't worthy of such power. But I am.

She tightened her grip, releasing a scream of agony from Vernal. Cinder heard cracks coming from Raven, and knew she had to be quick.

Cinder: So I will take what is mine.

Finally Vernal succumbed to the pain. Her cries grew weak, and she slipped into unconsciousness. Cinder's smile faded. Something wasn't right.

Cinder: What? Where's the power?!

She finally heard a crash behind her has Raven broke free from her icey prison. As she turned to face her new opponent, she heard a faint clunk, as Raven's helmet hit the ground.

Raven: You won't find it.

Raven was shaking with rage. Her head was down, and her eyes were closed.

Raven: Vernal… was never the Spring Maiden.

She opened her eyes, and an all to familiar red flame burst out.

Raven: I am.


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

POV: Omniscient

Mercury and Emerald braced for the attack they expected from Yang and Ruby, respectively. Instead, almost as if on some signal, they switched now, Emerald had to deal with the overwhelming strength of Yang, and Mercury had to deal with Ruby's range. Ruby, moving a bit too fast, came into range of Mercury's foot, and immediately felt as her scythe was launched to the floor a few meters away. She slowly looked up at Mercury, who was standing over her with that smirk on his face.

Mercury: Uh oh, what will you do now?

Surprisingly, she raised her fists confidently. This definitely wasn't how Mercury remembered her. He shrugged the thought aside and jabbed. She immediately ducked the punch and returned with an uppercut, now with the strength of her back and shoulder behind it. Mercury was sent reeling. Then, Ruby pushing her advantage, lept forward, landing a hook on his face. As Mercury recovered, she walked over and picked up her scythe.

Ruby: Whatever it takes to get you to shut up.

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Meanwhile, Weiss' healing was slow going. Nora was standing ready to fight over Jaune.

Nora: Are you two doing okay?

Jaune: I- I think so. I just wish this would go a bit faster…

Nora: How about you don't complain, and just be glad that you unlocked your semblance when you did.

Jaune: My semblance?

Nora: Of course, dummy! How else would you be healing her?

Jaune: Well, it doesn't feel like I'm really healing her, more like I'm using my aura to amplify her own.

Nora: You are doing something, she is being healed. It counts. Wait… if you're using your aura, aren't you worried about running out?

Jaune: Pyrrha once told me I had a lot of it. I still trust her.

That was when he heard a boom that was louder than usual. He looked over, and saw Ren, still fighting Hazel. Ren ducked one of Hazel's attacks but didn't see the other fist until it was too late. He hit the door, and couldn't even stand up before a bolt of electricity nailed him in the chest. A scream of agony was ripped from his throat as his body contorted in the worst ways possible.

Nora: Ren!

Jaune: Go! I can take things from here.

His attention was redirected to Weiss, as she groaned. He looked down, to see her eyes flutter open.

Weiss: Jaune? What happened?

Jaune: You took a really bad hit. You need to stay with me while the others fight, at least for now.

Weiss: That's… mildly annoying.

Jaune: Weiss?

Weiss: Yes?

Jaune: Never change.

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Ozcar, meanwhile, wasn't doing so good. He stepped to the side as Qrow was sent flying past him, and quickly blocked two rocks, courtesy of Professor Lionhardt. Of course, his attention was directed to blocking for slightly too long, and so took a fist to the chest.

Hazel: Hiding behind the face of a child… a monster like you has to be stopped.

Then, he heard Nora behind him, and turned around just in time to catch the hammer. He slammed her to the ground with all his might, leaving a dent in the wooden floor. She pushed herself only a foot of the ground, before Hazel grabbed her head, and sent hundreds of volts of electricity through her skull.

Hazel: How many more children must die for you? How many!?

Then, Nora did something strange. Her cries of pain turned into a shout of anger, and she grabbed his arm. Even though his full strength was pushing her down, she stood up and, gripping his arm in both hands, threw him off of her. She walked over and picked up her hammer.

Ozcar: Wait! His semblance… it lets him block out pain. It's how he can handle injecting dust directly into his bloodstream.

In front of them, Hazel stood back up, brushing off what would normally be the end of an average person.

Nora: I don't need him to hurt. I just need him to go down!

Hazel began running at her, ignoring any possible pain he might have to endure. Nora took a step back, and, sliding both hands to the bottom of the hammer, smashed it into his stomach. The impact created a pink shockwave in the shape of a heart and launched Hazel through the front wall of the building. He slid out into the open, and casually stood back up.

White Fang Member: What's going on in there?

Hazel: None of your concern.

He reached back into his pockets, and retrieved 4 more dust crystals. They were blood red. Fire. Ruby saw him roar from the hole he had left in the wall. Then, she turned back to the fight at hand. She had Mercury and Emerald just about wrapped up.

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Back outside, Adam turned back to the job at hand. All of the charges had been set, now he just needed to move to the perimeter.

Adam: Stay focused! Our friends are almost done in there-

?: Adam!

He looked up at the building in front of him. On its roof, stood Blake.

Hazel: Who is that?

Adam: None of your concern.

All of his guards immediately raised their weapons. He held his hand up, stopping them from firing. He started laughing.

Adam: To think… I went through so much trouble to find you… just for you to deliver yourself right to me.

Blake: What are you doing?

Adam: What's right for the faunas!

Blake: Is that what you think? This isn't what's right for the faunas! Please! Stop, and we can end this peacefully.

Adam: You're wrong, Blake. And guess what? You can't stop us.

Blake: Hey, you're actually right for once. No, I can't stop you. At least, not by myself.

?: That's why she didn't come alone!

Adam turned in the direction of the voice and found a young faunas, standing in front of a mob of people.

WF Member: What? Who is that?

He turned the other direction and saw a previous leader of the white fang, Ghira Belladonna, standing with another group of people. The crowd… it wasn't just random people. Some of them directly knew members that were with him right now.

Ghira: We are your brothers and sisters.

WF Member: Mata?

A young man in front didn't back down, but just looked at his younger sister.

Mata: Please… just stop. Lower your weapons.

Adam: You call yourself brothers and sisters? Make no mistake, the humans at Haven ARE OUR ENEMY!

Then, he heard something strange. They all heard it. The roar of propellers. Suddenly, light flooded the courtyard as airships pointed their spotlights at the white fang.

Policeman: Adam Taurus. This is the Mistral Police Force. Please lower your weapons and surrender peacefully.

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Back inside, light flooded through the windows, interrupting Emerald's attack. Weiss looked around, only seeing the shadows the lights were casting.

Weiss: What's happening?

Jaune: I don't know. How are you feeling?

She sat up, and focus. In her hand, a summon glyph appeared.

Weiss: Better. Much better.

She stood up shakily, but soon was standing confidently.

Weiss: Keep it up.

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Blake jumped down from the rooftop and landed in front of Adam.

Adam: How could you do this? HOW?!

Blake: Adam, it's over.

He looked around and realized most of his troops had already been taken. He looked down at a small grey box in his hand.

Adam: Then… I guess it's over for all of us.

To the horror of those around him, he pressed the button. Nothing happened.

WF Member: What are you doing?! Trying to get us all killed?

Adam: I'm making humanity pay. I'm making them ALL pay for what they've done!

Blake: You know, it was pretty easy to confirm the explosives were here. When we did, she disarmed them.

Adam looked up at a different tower. At the top, Ilia uncloaked herself and dropped the wires. Adam looked back at Hazel, who had watched the scene in slight amusement.

Adam: What do we do?

Hazel: This is your business. Not mine.

Then, a glowing white hook appeared in his stomach. He felt nothing but instead was pulled back into the building. Adam turned and looked back at Blake.

Blake: I told you, Adam. It's over.


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

POV: Omniscient

Well, Adam's never has been one to take failure, has he? He immediately ran forward, and put one hand on his sword. A second before he attacked, a thought crossed his mind and he hanged courses. Now, he aimed an over hand slash to Blake's right. The change only took an instant, but it hit nothing. He thought that Blake would have used her clones to dodge. Instead, she stood her ground. Feeling no resistance, Adam lost his balance. Before he could recover, Blake slammed her fist into his back, knocking him down, his sword was sent spinning point-first into the ground. He slowly pushed himself off the ground, and turned back to the guards, who had watched in awe as their untouchable leader was beaten in one hit.

Adam: Kill them!

An all out battle began in the courtyard, but Adam was heavily outnumbered. Worse still, the white fang members hesitated to attack their own species. Before, it had always been easy to kill and steal. It had been against the humans. But now, Adam was turning them against eachother.

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POV: Rocket

From my seat against the pole, I watched as Hazel was pulled back in. Weiss had a blight light shining off of her, and a Queen Lancer over her head. Suddenly, a massive shockwave shook the building. Ruby noticed all of the enemies were distracted by the shudders from deep below. She turned to Yang.

Ruby: Go!

Yang turned off and sprinted. Emerald was the first to snap to her senses.

Emerald: NO!

She tried to tackle Yang, but was easily avoided. Mercury was next, but was only able to grab Yang by the arm. I saw her eyes turn red.

Rocket: _Oh no._

Luckily, Yang kept her head. She kept running, and ejected her arm, like she had done to Nora. Mercury was sent sprawling. Her path now clear, she jumped into the elevator shaft. Emerald and Mercury tried to chase her, but a wall of ice rose, blocking them off. They turned back to see Weiss, as if for the first time. I tried to stand and rejoin the fight, but my pain defeated me. I looked out the hole in the wall, hearing gunshots. I was surprised when I saw a black and white form battling against Adam.

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POV: Omniscient

Cinder: Vernal was a decoy the whole time? Well, at least we know the Spring Maiden trusted you a great deal before she died. I bet that was a mistake…

Raven said nothing. Instead, she pushed a button on the side of her sheathe. Her sword rocketed forward, and she followed quickly behind. Cinder formed a crystal sword and met Raven in the middle. Or at least, that's what it looked like she was doing. Instead, right before the contact, she launched herself up, expected to go over Raven. However, Raven out predicted her. Cinder was thrown back into the stone behind her as Raven crashed into her. The rock shattered, leaving a platform for them to stand on. Cinder put her hand on the back of her sword, pushing even further forward. Somehow, she was pushing Raven back. Just before Raven hit the edge, an explosion erupted from Cinder, throwing Raven off the piller. She caught her sword, and stabbed it into the ground. Then, she used it as a pivot point to reverse her momentum. She slashed it Cinder, who quickly blocked. Raven was pushed back, but created a pillar of ice behind her, which she used to jumped back at Cinder. Cinder ducked Raven's blade, and had to quickly turn around to block Raven's return. Raven darted past Cinder again and again, each time, almost landing a hit. Each time, barely being blocked. Then, Raven put all of her force into a single slash. Both blades shattered. Unfortunately for Cinder, one of the shards of crystal went through her arm.

Raven: You're aura can't protect your arm. It's grimm. You've turned yourself into a monster just for power.

Cinder reached down and pulled out the crystal, then formed a lance.

Cinder: Look who's talking.

Then, she attacked once more. The two weapons clashed as their wielders dashed around the room. Raven now had a yellow blade. They bounced off anything possible. Eventually though, their weapons shattered once more. They didn't even pause, though, and immediately threw elemental attacks. A fireball from Cinder, and a bolt of pure ice from Raven. The bolt collided, and exploded. Cinder and Ravne both jumped back as shards of fire and ice flew in all directions, but mostly up. Then, Cinder formed two swords, and burst forwards. Once again, they met in the middle. This time, Raven had another red blade. They barely moved their feet, as they traded blows. The blades shattered again, but Cinder reformed hers, and Raven resheathed her sword, before pulling out yet another blade. The cycle continued as the battle became to fast for the average eye to see. Occasionally the fight would pause, only for a millisecond, as the combatants rearmed themselves. Raven cycled through a blue blade, green blade, before finally going back to red. Eventually, though, Cinder went airborne. Raven met her, though, and both hovered while trading blows. Soon, the shards of their weapons were caught in rings around them. Then, Cinder pulled back, and formed a massive sword out of the shards. It glowed red with fire. Raven saw that, and formed a sword of a similar size out of ice. The two clashed in the middle once more, but this time, the shockwaves were enough to shake the tree behind them. The two were thrown back, as both their blades shattered. Waves of ice and fire rolled behind them. Raven noticed the ceiling was loose. Most of the stalactites were cracked, ready to fall. While she was distracted, though she didn't notice the arm. It extended, grabber her around the neck. She was pushed back all the way to the elevator, and cracked the stone wall behind her. But then, as she was losing consciousness, she looked up. A smile crossed her face, and she blasted the ground at Cinder's feet. Cinder looked up, confused, and immediately was crushed by a giant rock. Raven fell to the ground, panting. She knew Cinder wasn't out for long, so she jumped up to another stalactite that had just fallen from the ceiling and waited. She didn't have to wait long, as she saw Cinder rise from the dust cloud. Her grimm arm hung uselessly by her side, but didn't really get in the way that much. Before she could get to the stalactite, though, Raven jumped off and met her midair. They jumped between a rain of stalactites, one not quite being able to overpower the other. Raven sent Cinder into one stalactite, which immediately shattered. Then, they jumped between those rocks for a second, before finally landing on a different stalactite. That stalactite was hit by another, which landed between them. It wasn't there for long, as Raven cut through and attack Cinder. With a blue blade, she cut underhanded at Cinder, leaving a line of ice where she had been. Cinder quickly beat her back, and she landed on a different stalactite. She was about to attack, when she looked down. Instead of attacking, she braced herself. All of the stalactites crashed to the ground. When the dust cleared. Cinder was on her knees. Her aura shattered. She looked up, and saw Raven standing. Her aura also shattered.

Raven: Have you had enough yet?

Cinder: Just… shut up… and DIE!

Cinder stood up, but didn't even make it 2 steps, before seeing a smile of Raven face.

Raven: Hmm… what did you say before? I'm not strong or clever? Well, you obviously aren't, either. If you were, you would remember watch your back.

Cinder spun around, and saw Vernal, still breathing. Vernal fired one last shot, which Cinder blocked. However, the shot still had the desired effect. Raven shot forward, and Cinder didn't have the strength or energy left to turn and block her. Raven's hand ignited with a blue flame as she punched Cinder with all her might. Cinder was launched back, off a cliff. Her mask shattered. She looked up, and saw Raven'd hand subtely glow blue. Suddenly, Cinder felt cold. She froze as she fell into the darkness below.

Raven: Thank you, Vernal.

She walked back over to where Vernal now laid. Her eyes were open, but unseeing. Raven reached down, and pushed her eyelids shut. She then stood up straight, and walked to the vault door. She laid her hand on the door, and felt it almost shudder. As she watched, a pattern that ran between every paper circle lit up blue. They folded together into the wall, opening the vault. Before she could walk in, though, she heard a thud from behind her. She turned around, and found her daughter standing in the elevator shaft.


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

POV: Omniscient

Back outside, the white fang was being rounded up pretty efficiently. There were only a few groups still fighting. One of them found themselves in the middle of a spotlight. That small group immediately tried to get out of it, but their path was blocked by a group of townspeople. AS the spotlight caught back up with them, they all dropped their weapons. Well, all except for one. Instead, he pulled out his pistol. It was the worst idea he could have possibly had. Instantly, the pistol was knocked out of his hands. Before he could react to that, though, he was face down on the ground, with Ilia holding onto his wrists.

Then, over on the other side of the courtyard, Adam stood back up. He had retrieved his sword, but then immediately was confronted by Blake.

Adam: I… I'll make you regret this! I'll make you regret ever setting foot in Haven!

Blake: Adam, more police are on their way. Give up.

Adam: Still too afraid to face me on your own, huh?

Blake: I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to protect Haven. You're just a side effect.

Adam raised his rifle, and immediately, Blake ducked and pulled out her sword. Adam chuckled.

Adam: You still are afraid! And guess what? You should be! I've made powerful friends while you were away.

Sun: Oh yeah? Where are they?

Sun had walked over behind Adam, ready to fight. Adam raised his sword towards Sun.

Adam: Tell me, does Blake make all of her friends fight for her?

Sun: Nah, it's a volunteer gig. Also, you never answered my question. For someone who keeps claiming to have such great and powerful friends, there aren't that many people here willing to fight for you.

Adam looked around and realized that Sun was right. All of his minions had either been rounded up or had surrendered. He growled in anger, before slashing at Sun. He easily blocked it, then switched to gun-chuck form. Adam couldn't keep up, getting pounded by attack after attack from both Sun and Blake. He was forced to give ground, before retreating. Lucky for him, there was an opening to a nearby forest. He took the opportunity and ran through it. Sun began to give chase, whe-

Blake: Sun, wait!

Sun: He's getting away! We can take him.

Blake: No, we can't. He'll lead us away, before picking us off one by one. We need to protect the people here. And beside, now he can see how it feels to run away. Oh, and… thanks for the help.

Sun: Eh, no problem. We all need help sometimes. Speaking of which-

He pointed back to the main building.

Sun: Looks like there are a few people who could use yours.

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Inside, Hazel was still fighting somehow. Jaune took a bolt on his shield. He looked back at Ren and Nora, weary from the long battle.

Jaune: How are you guys doing?

Ren: Surviving.

Nora: How is he still standing? His aura regenerates so quickly!

Qrow rolled behind a pillar next to them, as a fireball exploded behind him.

Qrow: His sheer willpower… I've never seen anything like it.

Ozcar: We just need to get him to his limit!

Speaking of limits, it seems like Weiss was beginning to reach hers. The Lancer was still alive, but barely. She lost focus for less than a second, and Hazel took it down. She knew she couldn't make another one like this. Hazel roared at Ruby and Weiss, who were barely able to stand. But then, Rocket ran forward. He had been missing from the action ever since the hit that knocked him out a while ago. But now, he came charging back into the battle Hazel turned, but not in time. Rocket immediately jumped over his head and stabbed him in the shoulder with his sword as he landed. Hazel turned around and swiped, but Rocket was already gone. He ducked under the attack and unleashed a fury of cuts and slashes. Of course, Hazel didn't feel any of it. He punched straight forward, something that he knew probably still wouldn't work, and Rocket side-stepped it. Then Ruby realized something. He had left his katana in Hazel's back. So, what was he using to attack? His arm slowed down for half a second, just long enough to identify the second sword. It was the Gambol Shroud. Ruby snapped back to reality, as she saw Rocket stab the second blade into Hazel's other shoulder. Hazel roared and finally hit Rocket. Before Rocket could stand back up, he had a foot on his chest.

Hazel: Yet another one. How many must you throw into death to learn your lesson?

That last line was thrown at Oz, who Hazel noticed was smiling. Before he could think of why, he heard a battle cry from behind him, and then felt pain in his back. Blake landed on the two swords, one foot on each, pushing them deeper into his back. Rocket was barely able to roll out of the way before Hazel fell. Then, Blake jumped off of Hazel, pulling out her sword as she did so. Rocket similarly pulled out his sword and walked back to the rest of the group. Blake landed in front of us. She noticed Ruby and Weiss kind of staring at her.

Blake: Is something wrong?

Weiss: No! It's just… I remember you being more of the quiet type.

Blake: Not anymore.

Hazel groaned and stood up. Emerald and Mercury stood beside him.

Rocket: Ruby?

Ruby: Already on it. I think I've got something figured out. Everyone ready?

We all nodded in turn. I noticed Professor Lionhardt duck through an adjacent set of doors. Ruby cocked her sniper rifle.

Ruby: Checkmate!

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Raven: I warned you, Yang. I gave you every opportunity to walk away from Ozpin. So, you can believe me when I say this wasn't personal.

They were standing in front of the vault, only around 5 feet from one another. Yang didn't say a word. They stood in silence for another minute, before it was finally broken.

Raven: Look, I-

Yang: You opened the vault?

Raven: Yes. Thanks to the chaos you and your friends created upstairs. I knew you could handle it. After all, you are my daughter-

Yang: Qrow and Oz told me about how the maiden's powers transfer. She would've had to trust you a bunch if you were in her final thoughts.

Raven: I'm sure they told you plenty. And I'm sure you just sat and listened-

Yang: Actually, I did like you said. I asked questions.

Raven: And?

Yang: Well, actually I should say that I'm askING questions. Since your so keen on finding the truth, tell me. What happened to the last Spring Maiden. Was it sickness? Did she die in battle?

Raven: What does it matter to you?

Yang could hear the distress in her mother's voice. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Yang: It's… It's written all over your face. How could you?!

Raven: She was weak! She was scared when we found her. No matter what I did, she didn't learn. She didn't try. If she had stayed, she just would have been hunted her entire life. What I did-

Yang: Wasn't personal?

Raven: It was mercy!

Yang: There's just one more thing I'm curious about. Which is it? Are you merciful, or are you a survivor? Did you let me and my friends walk into that trap because you knew we could handle it, or did you do it because it let you get the power you wanted?

Raven: It's not that simple, you don't know me! You don't know the choices I've had to make!

Yang: You're right. I don't know you. I only know the Raven dad told me about. The Raven from the stories. She was troubled. Complicated. But, in the end, she fought for anything she believed in! She would fight for her tribe, or as he knew her, her team. Did you kill her, too?

Raven: I- I've stared death in the face, over and over again! And I've spat in that face and survived every time because I'M STRONG ENOUGH! I can do what others won't!

Yang: Oh, shut up.

During the argument, the fire had awoken in Raven's eyes. That statement made it disappear.

Yang: You don't know the first thing about strength! You turn your back on people. You run away when things look difficult. You trade others lives for your own. You might be powerful, but that doesn't make you strong.

Raven: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, LECTURING ME?! Shaking, like a scared little girl.

Yang: Yeah, I'm scared. But I'm still standing here. I'm not like you. I won't run. That's why you need to give me the relic.

Raven: Why would I ever do th-

Yang: Because you're scared of Salem! You thought holding a maiden put a target on your back, when really, it was all for these relics. If you take it tonight, she'll come after you with everything she has! Or, she could come after me. And I'll be standing there, waiting.

There was a moment of silence, as tears began to run down Raven's face.

Raven: You don't want to do this, Yang…

Yang: Nope. But I'll do it anyways.

Yang walked past her mother, shouldering her to the side.

Raven: I'm… sorry.

Yang: Yeah, me too.

Yang turned back around, and saw a single, black feather laying on the ground behind her. Then, as golden petals fell all around her, she took a deep breath and finally entered the vault of the Spring Maiden.


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

POV: Omniscient

The world Yang stepped into was… weird to say the least. It was a desert with its own sun, and a stone path. That path led to a pedestal with what Yang could only assume to be the relic sitting on top. The weirdest part about his world was the light. Colors mixed at the edges of everything, leaving a soft blur between objects. She walked along the stone path. With every step, she noticed that the world broke away behind her, floating up. She tried to touch one of those particles, but found that she couldn't. No matter where she put her hand, she could see the particle in front of it. She finally stepped up to the pedestal. The relic was similar to a lantern, with a ring on top to hold it by. It had gold decorations on the outside, all around a blue orb. She picked up the relic, and looked into the orb. Then, she fell on her knees and began crying.

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Leo burst into his office, and immediately began rummaging around in his drawers.

Lionhardt: Come on, come on… It's got be around here somewhere…

Then, he heard a different door open than the one he entered through. But the only other door is… He peeked over the desk, and saw his worst nightmare. The orb that he used to communicate with Salem was staring back at him.

Salem: And where might you be going?

Lionhardt: Uh, Your Grace! I was uh, just looking for something.

Salem: You are a terrible liar. Is there something you wish to tell me?

Lionhardt: It was Cinder. She altered the plan. Huntsmen showed up here. Qrow! The students! The white fang attack was stopped. I'm not sure if they will be able to recover the relic…

The grimm raised one of it's tentacles, as if to inspect it. He knew it didn't need to.

Lionhardt: But Your Grace! I can still be of assistance! I can leave, avoid the authorities and come find you!

He walked out from behind his desk, and closer to the grimm.

Lionhardt: Please, I'll do whatever it takes!

There was just silence. He couldn't even see Salem in the orb.

Lionhardt: Your Grace?

Then, he decided something in his mind. He tried to strike at the grimm, but it easily caught his arm, and knocked off his shield. Realizing he was disarmed, he sprinted for the door. He didn't make it. The grimm grabbed his ankles, and dragged him back.

Lionhardt: I'll do anything, ma'am, please. PLEASE!

Despite all his fighting, he was dragged away from the door and his vision went black as he felt one tentacle around his neck, and many other pains all over his body.

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POV: Rocket

Ruby: Just give up!

Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel were surrounded. All of them were tired, even Hazel was showing slight signs of fatigue.

Emerald: It's not over! Cinder will come back! She'll have the relic, and she'll kill all of you! She won't let us down.

Just then, a roar of a motor could be heard from the elevator. Everyone looked over. Finally, we saw a familiar mess of yellow hair rise out of the elevator shaft. Yang was holding the relic. Tears silently poured down Emerald's face. She fell to her knees.

Mercury: Emerald, we need to go.

She just shook her head, and kept crying.

Mercury: Emerald!

Emerald looked up, distressed and confused, almost as if she didn't know anybody or anything around her. A demonic scream was ripped from her through, as the lights in the room faded. A cloud of black smoke replaced her, Hazel, and Mercury. The smoke started spinning, and a form rose out of it. It was strangely humanoid, but not quite. It had pure, white skin with dark purple, almost black veins clearly defined on it's skin. It had a black robe on with a blood red design. It contorted in completely inhuman ways, before righting itself, and screeching. After a moment, I noticed something. All around us, the light had become redshifted. The form in front of us, however, cast no shadows. While the rest of the group shielded themselves, I simply grabbed my sword and threw it. It went straight through the creatures heart. The illusion faded, and the room went back to normal. The group recovered, and only saw my sword, still quivering in a pillar exactly where the beast had been. Blake's was the first brain to function enough to talk.

Blake: What… what WAS that?

Ozcar: An illusion… but an accurate one. That was Salem.

Blake: Who?

Rocket: We have SO much catching up to do.


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

POV: Omniscient

Adam watched from a nearby tree as Hazel, carrying an unconscious Emerald, and Mercury ran by. It was obvious they had lost.

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POV: Rocket

So, after the battle, we all slumped a bit. We were exhausted. Looking at the time, we had basically been fighting for 6 hours straight. We had only gotten rest when we were knocked out. I noticed everyone splitting into groups of 2 or 3. I just stood there awkwardly, listening to the conversations around me.

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POV: Omniscient

Blake ran over to her parents and hugged them. They had all made it. Once they split apart, they began talking business.

Kali: The rest of the white fang members have been rounded up. Haven is safe.

Ghira: But Adam escaped…

Ilia: It's ok. He was the only one to escape tonight. After this… no one will support him. No one likes a leader that leaves people behind. He'll have no one. But… that will leave us divided.

Ghira: And we've been fighting amongst ourselves for too long. It's time for a new brotherhood. A new family for Faunas truly working towards a better world.

Kali: You know, it'll need a leader.

Sun looked away from the group, and noticed familiar faces all around him. He turned back to Blake, and grabbed her arm with his tail, pulling her to face her team.

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Yang walked down the steps shakily, and was met by Qrow. She gladly handed him the lantern.

Qrow: What happened?

Yang: I- I don't know exactly. When I got down there, the vault was open. Cinder was gone. Vernal was dead.

Qrow: And Raven?

Yang: She- I- I don't want to talk about it.

Qrow: Well, we're all glad you're still here, firecracker.

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Over in front of the statue, Ruby collapsed to the ground with a groan, the adrenaline that had previously kept her going fading. Weiss was immediately at her side.

Weiss: Are you ok?

Ruby: Ugh… I feel like I should be asking you all that.

Yang also walked over, and dropped to her knees next to Ruby. They all noticed a person walking up to them. It was Blake.

Ruby: So, uh, Blake. What are you doing here?

Blake: I, uh… I was about to ask you three the same thing.

Ruby: That's a loooong story.

Blake: Well, I'm not going anywhere. Not this time.

Ruby: I guess that's all that matters. That we're all here together.

Blake: Wait… where did Rocket get to?

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 **POV: Rocket**

Rocket: Over here. I don't think any amount of training could have prepared us for tonight.

Blake and I joined the circle. Once more, team RRWBY was back together.

Blake: So, what happened with all of you?

Ruby: Storytime!

Rocket: Well, it's actually 3 long stories, that all converge at different times and each involve multiple characters of their own. They diverge, but intersect, affected by all of the other stories. Now, who wants to go first?

Immediately, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang raised their hands.

Rocket: This is going to be SO interesting…

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Qrow walked over to Oscar, who was on his knees, gasping for air. That had been a lot of tension and physical exertion.

Qrow: We did it, Oz. I don't know how, but we did it. You alright?

Oscar: I'm… fine.

Rather than Ozpin's confidant, deeper voice, Qrow was surprised to hear Oscar's voice come out.

Qrow: Kid?

Oscar: He's... resting. That took a lot of effort for him.

Oscar lurched forward, and Qrow could tell he was on the brink of collapsing.

Qrow: Woah, kid. Don't strain yourself.

Oscar: Ozpin… he had a message for you. He said… we must get the lamp… into the shade.

And with that, Oscar was finally overtaken by exhaustion. He collapsed to the side. Qrow caught him, and gently laid him down. Then, holding up the relic, he gazed into the blue light.

Qrow: D***it. I hate the desert.


	31. Volume 6 Exerpt

POV: Rocket

After making sure Ruby was covered and out of danger, I walked deeper into the maze of rubble. That was when his voice echoed through the broken town.

?: Why do you even bother? You're friend is poisoned; dying. Soon, you will join her. What do you hope to accomplish by fighting?

His voice seemed to originate all around me, making it impossible to pinpoint his location.


End file.
